Table of Contents

1: Classification of Languages
2: Classification of Writing Systems
3: Languages of Europe
4: Languages of Asia
5: Languages of Africa
6: Languages of Oceania
7: Native Languages of the Americas
8: Pidgins and Creoles
Appendices: Maps
General Bibliography

Reviews

"The author succeeds in covering a broad range of important and interesting information, and I am not aware of any other work that could serve as an all-round textbook for a course on the Languages of the World."--Bernard Comrie, University of Southern California, author of The World's Major Languages
"...clearly exhibits the author's very considerable erudition in several language areas."--Joseph Grimes, Cornell University
"Lyovin's work is ambitious and will be a valuable resource."--Language in Society
"It offers a useful compendium of information, a survey of the entire list of language families of the world, several descriptive sketches of languages, and some excellent examples and exercises for illustrative or class use....the quality of the text is high...we should be grateful to the author for...providing this text."--Language
"The author succeeds in covering a broad range of important and interesting information, and I am not aware of any other work that could serve as an all-round textbook for a course on the Languages of the World."--Bernard Comrie, University of Southern California, author of The World's Major Languages
"...clearly exhibits the author's very considerable erudition in several language areas."--Joseph Grimes, Cornell University
"This is an awesome accomplishment...the thoroughness, depth, precision, and clarity of the author's presentation makes it all the more remarkable."--Allan Metcalf, MacMurray College