Description

The World Atlas of Language Structures is a book and CD combination displaying the structural properties of the world's languages. 142 world maps and numerous regional maps - all in colour - display the geographical distribution of features of pronunciation and grammar, such as number of vowels, tone systems, gender, plurals, tense, word order, and body part terminology. Each world map shows an average of 400 languages and is accompanied by a fully referenced description of the structural feature in question.

The CD provides an interactive electronic version of the database which allows the reader to zoom in on or customize the maps, to display bibliographical sources, and to establish correlations between features. The book and the CD together provide an indispensable source of information for linguists and others seeking to understand human languages.

The Atlas will be especially valuable for linguistic typologists, grammatical theorists, historical and comparative linguists, and for those studying a region such as Africa, Southeast Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe. It will also interest anthropologists and geographers. More than fifty authors from many different countries have collaborated to produce a work that sets new standards in comparative linguistics. No institution involved in language research can afford to be without it.

Reviews

"This remarkably detailed book is written by linguists for linguists.... Sure to become the definitive atlas on the subject. Recommended."--Library Journal

"This impressive reference contains 142 full-color maps reproduced onto two-page plates as the centerpieceof as many chaters devoted to an in-depth discussion of each map's content by a specialist in the field.... Impressive in size as well as scope."--Reference & Research Book News

Product Details

712 pages; Colour illustrations throughout; 360 x 250 mm; ISBN13: 978-0-19-925591-7ISBN10: 0-19-925591-1