From English, French, Spanish and Russian to Pashto, Tagalog, and Swahili, this is the first comprehensive reference work to provide detailed information about the world's forty major languages. Written by acknowledged specialists in the field, the volume begins with a general introduction to language and language families, followed by language-family sections that provide an informative essay about that language, and individual chapters that discuss the history, distribution, syntax, grammar and punctuation, writing and spelling systems, standards of usage, and other important aspects of each language.

Review

"A magnificent piece of scholarship and editorical assembling, at--considering what books cost today--a surprisingly low price."--R.M.R. Hall, Queens College, CUNY
"This is the most thorough survey of languages and language families that I have seen which is suitable for undergraduate courses. The scholarship offers models to emulate while the selection of language groups and contributors can only serve to broaden multi-cultural awareness in
students."--Patricia S. Burton, Northeast Missouri State University
"The best extant survey on the subject. It would be an excellent text for a course on world languages, or even one in general linguistics."--William E. McMahon, University of Akron
"The amount and quality of historical, sociological, and linguistic information presented in typical chapters dealing with a given language are amazing. Most chapters also include extensive descriptions of the phonological and graphic systems, morphology, word-formation, syntactic patterns, and
characteristic features of the lexicon. For inflected languages, detailed and synoptic charts of major declension and conjugation classes are provided....This unique work is an important and reliable source of extensive knowledge about particular languages and their families."--American Reference
Books Annual
"This impressive volume supersedes similar ones...in its treatment of families of languages and individual idioms."--Language Problems and Language Planning
"An excellent survey....The volume is recommended as a standard reference for all institutional libraries and for general readers."--Choice
"A treasury of authoritative yet concise information about major languages andlanguage families."--Library Journal
"A substantial resource on modern languages....Recommended for all academic and large public libraries."--The Reference Book Review
"A magnificent piece of scholarship and editorical assembling, at--considering what books cost today--a surprisingly low price."--R.M.R. Hall, Queens College, CUNY
"This is the most thorough survey of languages and language families that I have seen which is suitable for undergraduate courses. The scholarship offers models to emulate while the selection of language groups and contributors can only serve to broaden multi-cultural awareness in
students."--Patricia S. Burton, Northeast Missouri State University
"The best extant survey on the subject. It would be an excellent text for a course on world languages, or even one in general linguistics."--William E. McMahon, University of Akron
"The amount and quality of historical, sociological, and linguistic information presented in typical chapters dealing with a given language are amazing. Most chapters also include extensive descriptions of the phonological and graphic systems, morphology, word-formation, syntactic patterns, and
characteristic features of the lexicon. For inflected languages, detailed and synoptic charts of major declension and conjugation classes are provided....This unique work is an important and reliable source of extensive knowledge about particular languages and their families."--American Reference
Books Annual
"This impressive volume supersedes similar ones...in its treatment of families of languages and individual idioms."--Language Problems and Language Planning
"An excellent survey....The volume is recommended as a standard reference for all institutional libraries and for general readers."--Choice
"A treasury ofauthoritative yet concise information about major languages and language families."--Library Journal
"A substantial resource on modern languages....Recommended for all academic and large public libraries."--The Reference Book Review
"A magnificent piece of scholarship and editorical assembling, at--considering what books cost today--a surprisingly low price."--R.M.R. Hall, Queens College, CUNY
"This is the most thorough survey of languages and language families that I have seen which is suitable for undergraduate courses. The scholarship offers models to emulate while the selection of language groups and contributors can only serve to broaden multi-cultural awareness in students."--Patricia S. Burton, Northeast Missouri State University
"The best extant survey on the subject. It would be an excellent text for a course on world languages, or even one in general linguistics."--William E. McMahon, University of Akron
"The amount and quality of historical, sociological, and linguistic information presented in typical chapters dealing with a given language are amazing. Most chapters also include extensive descriptions of the phonological and graphic systems, morphology, word-formation, syntactic patterns, and characteristic features of the lexicon. For inflected languages, detailed and synoptic charts of major declension and conjugation classes are provided....This unique work is an important and reliable source of extensive knowledge about particular languages and their families."--American Reference Books Annual
"This impressive volume supersedes similar ones...in its treatment of families of languages and individual idioms."--Language Problems and Language Planning
"An excellent survey....The volume is recommended as a standard reference for all institutional libraries and for general readers."--Choice
"A treasury of authoritative yet concise information about major languages and languagefamilies."--Library Journal
"A substantial resource on modern languages....Recommended for all academic and large public libraries."--The Reference Book Review
"A magnificent piece of scholarship and editorical assembling, at--considering what books cost today--a surprisingly low price."--R.M.R. Hall, Queens College, CUNY

"This is the most thorough survey of languages and language families that I have seen which is suitable for undergraduate courses. The scholarship offers models to emulate while the selection of language groups and contributors can only serve to broaden multi-cultural awareness in students."--Patricia S. Burton, Northeast Missouri State University

"The best extant survey on the subject. It would be an excellent text for a course on world languages, or even one in general linguistics."--William E. McMahon, University of Akron

"The amount and quality of historical, sociological, and linguistic information presented in typical chapters dealing with a given language are amazing. Most chapters also include extensive descriptions of the phonological and graphic systems, morphology, word-formation, syntactic patterns, and characteristic features of the lexicon. For inflected languages, detailed and synoptic charts of major declension and conjugation classes are provided....This unique work is an important and reliable source of extensive knowledge about particular languages and their families."--American Reference Books Annual

"This impressive volume supersedes similar ones...in its treatment of families of languages and individual idioms."--Language Problems and Language Planning

"An excellent survey....The volume is recommended as a standard reference for all institutional libraries and for general readers."--Choice

"A treasury of authoritative yet concise information about major languages and language families."--Library Journal

"A substantial resource on modern languages....Recommended for all academic and large public libraries."--The Reference Book Review

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