Languages of the World: An Introduction

by Asya Pereltsvaig

Overview

Designed for students with no prior experience in linguistics, this is an engaging guide to the rich variety and typology of world languages. This third edition has been updated with new problem sets, an updated glossary and index, and a new section on linguistic cartography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108788519
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/03/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Asya Pereltsvaig is a native speaker of Russian and a fluent speaker of three other languages. For the last fifteen years, she has taught courses in linguistics at Yale, Cornell, Stanford and several other universities around the world. Her academic interests include languages, history, genetics and the relationship between the three.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Languages of Europe; 3. Languages of Iran and South Asia; 4. Languages of Northern Eurasia; 5. Languages of the Caucasus; 6. Languages of the Greater Middle East; 7. Languages of sub-Saharan Africa; 8. Languages of eastern Asia; 9. Languages of the South Sea Islands; 10. Aboriginal languages of New Guinea and Australia; 11. Native languages of the Americas; 12. Remaining issues: macro families, sign languages, and constructed languages; Glossary; Index of languages; Index of terms; Bibliography.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Advance praise: “This comprehensive and highly-informative book offers a plethora of intriguing, richly-documented facts. Written in an easy style, it is a great read for both beginning and advanced-level students and laypersons.” —Edith Moravcsik, Professor Emerita of Linguistics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

"A lively and engaging introduction to the richness and diversity of the world's languages." —Greville G. Corbett, University of Surrey

Editorial Reviews

'A fine panoramic view of the rich variety of the world’s languages.' Greville G. Corbett, Distinguished Professor of Linguistics, Surrey Morphology Group, University of Surrey

'Reading this book reminds me of why I became a linguist. Pereltsvaig provides a fascinating overview of human languages, exploring their diversity, commonalities, and history. This book is accessible to anyone who is curious about language but is also detailed and extensive enough to be a valuable resource for linguistic scholars, teachers, and students.' Diane Massam, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto

From the Publisher