Encyclopedia of Linguistics

Philipp Strazny, Editor

Key Features Publication Details/Order Online

Some of the earliest known work in Linguistics dates from almost 2,500 years ago when the Indian grammarian Panini wrote his formal treatises on Sanskrit. With an area of study as large and complex as linguistics, it is essential that information be made comprehensible to laypersons, undergraduates, non-specialists, and students in related fields. The Encyclopedia of Linguistics accomplishes this by providing an accessible overview of and introduction to the multiple facets of the study of language from ancient times to the twenty-first century. This valuable two-volume A-Z resource makes even the more complex linguistic issues understandable for the non-specialized reader.

The entries in the Encyclopedia of Linguistics fall into four thematic categories:

Linguistic topic essays are general introductions to the major fields of inquiry as well as issues within those fields.

Language essays cover the major language families of the world and discuss how individual languages are related to each other. Articles concentrate on specific languages, explain where these languages are spoken, by whom, and under what socio-political circumstances. An overview of the structure and characteristics of a language is also included.

Person essays highlight the major theoretical contributions of noted linguists, discuss the influences that led up to their work, and put the contributions into historical perspective, in addition to providing basic biographical sketches.

Region essays map out the linguistic landscape of a particular region. They show which languages are spoken where, explain how this particular situation came about historically, and discuss language-political issues relevant in this region.

With topics ranging from ancient languages to the latest work from the twenty-first century, the Encyclopedia of Linguistics is an indispensable reference work that is a valuable entry point to linguistic research for all interested readers.

Written by 278 scholars and researchers from 34 countries, the 508 essays range from factual narrative entries to thematic and analytical discussions
Easily accessible A to Z format with useful thematic and alphabetic table of contents
Cross-references in the form of See Alsos at the end of each entry refer the reader to related essays
Thorough, analytical index
Selected Works and Further Readings at the end of each entry refer the reader to seminal writings as well as some of the most recent work on the subject
Over 80 black-and-white illustrations including language-distribution maps

Select your region:
North and South America	Rest of the World