Language Reference Sources

Contents

1. Dictionaries & encyclopedias of linguistic terms & concepts
2. Languages & language families
   • Checklists
   • Compendia of basic information on grammar, alphabet, etc.
   • Maps and atlases
3. Statistical and comparative data
   • General
   • Phonetics
   • Languages spoken in specific countries
   • Number of speakers
   • Official national languages
   • Number of languages
4. Other topics
   • Word roots
   • Frequency analysis

1. Dictionaries & Encyclopedias of Linguistic Terms & Concepts

• The Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics (1994), 10 vols., P29.E48.
• Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (1987) P29.C64. A popular work.
• The Linguistics Encyclopedia (1991) P29.L52. And its companion volume:
• An Encyclopaedia of Language (1990) P106.A46.
• International Encyclopedia of Linguistics, 4 v. (1981) P29.I58. Oxford University Press.
• Current Trends in Linguistics, 14 v. (1965-1976) P1.C8 STK. An encyclopedic compendium of linguistic information. Volume 14 is the Index volume and is shelved in Reference; check this work out for almost anything concerning linguistics.
• Linguistics: The Cambridge Survey, 4 v. (1988) P121.L567. Volumes 1 and 2 cover linguistic theory; vol. 3: psychological and biological aspects of language; vol. 4: sociolinguistics. There are extensive bibliographies.

• A dictionary of grammaticalization, 3 v. (1994) P299.G73L37.
• Crystal (1991) A Dictionary of Linguistics & Phonetics, 3rd ed., P29.C65. Complements rather than replaces:
• Dictionary of Language and Linguistics (1972) P29.H34 DESK. Has a more extensive bibliography than does Crystal (above) and, although somewhat dated, provides references to specific rather than the more general or introductory sources listed by Crystal. Useful additions to this dictionary include:
  • list of abbreviations, symbols & conventions
  • consonant chart
  • international phonetic alphabet
  • examples of non-alphabetic scripts
  • list of languages of over 1 million speakers
  • location & linguistic affiliation
• Longman's Dictionary of Applied Linguistics (1988) P129.R5.
• Terminologie zur neueren Linguistik , 2nd ed., 2 vols. (1988) P29.A27. An excellent work with good bibliographies.
• Lexikon der Germanistischen Linguistik , 2nd ed. (1980) PF3071.L49. Emphasizes German scholarship and Germanic linguistics. Each article includes a bibliography.
• La Langage (1973) P29.L34.
• Dictionary of Stylistics (1988) P301.W35.
• Ducrot & Todorov (1972) Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Sciences of Language, P29.D813.
• A Grand Dictionary of Phonetics (1981) P221.G9.
• Handbook of Language & Social Psychology (1991) P37.H33.
• Handbook of semiotics (1990) P99.N6513.

2. Languages & Language Families

Cheklists of Language Families and Groupings, & Individual Languages

• Ruhlen (1987) A Guide to the World's Languages (P203.R8 1987). Cf. "Language Families of the World" in Ruhlen (1976) Guide to the Languages of the World, P203.R8.
• Voeglin (1976) Classification and Index of the World's Languages P203.V6.
• Languages of the World: A Multi-lingual Concordance of Languages, Dialects and Language Families... (1987) P203.K54.
• Les Langues dans le monde ancien et moderne (1981-) P121.L285.
• Les Langues du monde (1951) P201.M4. Map Supplement is at the Reference Desk.
• "Languages of the World" in Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed. (10: 662-672).
• "Sprachen der Erde" in Meyers enzyklopaedisches Lexikon (22: 330-353).
• "Les Langues" in La Grande encyclopedie Larousse (7: 6947-54).
• Meier & Meier (1979) Handbuch der Linguistik und Kommunikations-Wissenschaft, v.1 Sprache..., P29.M4. Includes 8 language maps. CHECKLISTS continued on p. 2
• Ethnologue (1988), 11th ed., 2 v., P106.E8. The second volume is the index.
• Library of Congress (1956) Index to Languages and Dialects, Z696.U5.P65. Outdated but still useful guide to the LC classification scheme for languages.
• Countries, Peoples & Their Language: The Geolinguistic Handbook (1991) P371.G86. Ch. 4.
• Thesaurus of African Languages (1987) PL8005.T54.

Individual Languages & Dialects: compendia of basic information including grammar, alphabet, transliteration, etc. (also see sources listed just above)

• Comrie (1987) The World's Major Languages, P321.W6.
• Malherbe (1983) Les Langues de l'humanite, P371.M34.
• Katzner (1975) The Languages of the World, P201.K35.
  • Pt. 1. Language families
  • Pt. 2. Individual languages
  • Pt. 3. Country-by-country survey
• Pei (1950) The World's Chief Languages, 5th ed., P121.P36.
  • Pt. 1. Language types and language families
  • Pt. 2. Geography & languages
  • Pt. 3. Individual languages
  • Index to linguistic maps & alphabets
• A Manual of European Languages for Librarians (1975) P380.A4.
• Manual of Foreign Languages, 4th ed (1952) Z2253.U581.
• A Guide to Foreign Languages for Science Librarians & Bibliographers (1965) P201.P5.
• Compendium of the World's Lanaguages, 2 v. (1991) P371.C36.
• Gilyarevsky (1970) Languages Identification Guide (P213.G4913). Probably the single most useful source for information on alphabets and scripts.
• Languages of Asia & the Pacific (1984) P381.A75.H35.
• South Asian Languages: A Handbook (1985) P381.S58.S599.
• Handbook of American Indiaan Languages, 3 vol. (1911-38) PM108.B7.

Language Maps & Dialect Atlases

Material listed here is in the Reference Collection. Many language maps are in the Stack. General atlases often include language & ethnolinguistic maps, e.g., the C.I.A.'s Communist China Map Folio, and Historical Atlas of Africa. Also see maps in other works listed above in sect. 2.

• Atlas of the World's Languages (1994) P375.A84 f Desk.
• Language Atlas of the Pacific Area (1984) G2202.E15.E3.A9. Published by the Australian Accademy of the Humanities, it consists of 47 individual maps each 21 x 15 inches, covering New Guinea, Oceania, Australia, Philippines, and mainland and insular Southeast Asia.
• Language Atlas of China (1988) PL1033.L36f11 f.
• Dalby (1977) Language Map of Africa, PL8005.D3.
• dtv-Atlas zur deutschen Sprache: Tafelin und Texte (1978) PF3777.K64. Includes historical maps.
• The Linguistic Atlas of England (1978) PE1705.L56.
• Computer Developed Linguistic Atlas of England (1991) G1816.E3.C73f.
• Linguistic Atlas of Late Medieval England, 4 v. (1986) PE170.5M35.
• Meillet (1952) Les Langues du Monde, P201.M4. Map Supplement is at the Desk. Updated by:
• Les Langues dans le Monde ancien et moderne (1981-) P121.L285.
• Handbuch der Linguistik und Kommunikations-wissenschaft, v.1 (1979) P29.M4. Eight maps in pocket.
• Words: An illustrated History of Western Languages, PB45.W67. Includes a number of maps covering Western languages.
• Native Peoples & Languages of Alaska (1982) G4371.G3f.
• Countries, Peoples & Their Language: The Geolinguistic Handbook (1991) P371.G86.

3. Statistical & Comparative Data

• Gyula Decsy summarizes a great deal of statistical data from many of the sources listed below in his five volume Statistical Report on the Languages of the World (1985) P375.D4. This work consists of:
  • Part 1. List of languages in decreasing order of speakers
  • Part 2. List of languages arranged according to linguistic phyla
  • Part 3. List of languages arranged according to continents and countries
  • Part 4. Alphabetical list of languages arranged according to continents
  • Part 5. Cumulative alphabetical Index

• Linguistic Composition of the Nations of the World, 4 vols. (1974-1984) P138.5.U5 STK. Compiles data from other works, e.g., Ethnologue.
• Written Languages of the World: A Survey of the Degree and Modes of Use (1977-) P371.W7.
• Decsy (1988) Select Catalog of Language Universals P204.D42.

  Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) have a section devoted to language subdivided by the following topics: speech, vocabulary, grammar, phonology, stylistics, semantics, linguistic identification & special languages. The files are located in the Microtext Room. The HRAF classification scheme is based on two handbooks: Murdock (1975) Outline of World Cultures, 5th rev. ed., and Murdock (1960) Outline of Cultural Materials, 4th ed. HRAF is being converted to a CD-ROM product.

Comparative phonetics

• Patterns of Sound (1984) P217.M2 STK. A systematic survey of the frequency and distribution of phonemic sound found in the languages of the world, based on UPSID, UCLA Phonology Segment Inventory (1981) P215.W6 no. 53 STK..
• Ruhlen (1987) A Guide to the World's Languages. Final chapter.
• Ruhlen (1976) Guide to the Languages of the World, P203.R8 1976.

Languages spoken in a particular country

• Ethnologue (1988), 11th ed., 2 v., P106.E8. The second volume is the index.
• Katzner (1975) The Languages of the World, 2nd ed., P201.K35.
• Linguistic Composition of the Nations of the World, 4 vols. (1974-1984) P138.5.U5 STK.
• Countries, Peoples & Their Language: The Geolinguistic Handbook (1991) P371.G86.

Number of speakers

• Ethnologue (1988), 11th ed., 2 v., P106.E8. The second volume is the index.
• Statistical Report on the Languages of the World as of 1985 (1988) P375.D4.
• Linguistic Composition of the Nations of the World, 4 vols. (1974-1984) P138.5.U5 STK.
• Countries, Peoples & Their Language: The Geolinguistic Handbook (1991) P371.G86.

Official languages of countries

A chart and a map are found in "Sprachen der Erde" in Meyers enzyklopaedisches Lexikon, v.22; and in "Les Langues" in La Grande encyclopedie Larousse, v.7, repectively. Current information by country can be found in a number of almanacs and political yearbooks (e.g., Europa). Also:

• Countries, Peoples & Their Language: The Geolinguistic Handbook (1991) P371.G86.
• Linguistic Composition of the Nations of the World, 4 vols. (1974-1984) P138.5.U5 STK.

Number of languages

• Ruhlen (1987) Guide to the Languages of the World, P203.R8, pp. 1-4.
• Linguistic Composition of the Nations of the World (1974-1984). Introductory sections.

4. Other Topics

Word roots

• The Roots of English (1989) PE1580.C56.
• Dictionary of English Word Roots (1966) PE1580.S65.
• Dictionary of Word Roots & Combining Forms (1971) QH3.B68.
• American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots (19185) P615.A43.
• The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-Euuropean Roots (1984) PE1571.S46.
• Thesaurus of Word Roots of the English Language (1992) PE1580.D36.

Frequency Analysis

See chapter 15 "The Statistical Analysis of Language" in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (1987) P29.C64. Also use subject searches in SOCRATES: English language--word frequency; German language--word frequency, etc. Do your own studies with The Searcher (contact searcher@sweet).

• Word Frequencies in British & American English (1982) PE1691.H71.
• Frequency Analysis of English Usage: Lexicon & Grammar (1982) PE2839.F7.
• Word Frequencies of Spoken American English (1979) PE2808.8.D3.
• Relative Frequency of English Speech Sounds (1923) PE1143.D4.

Letter frequency: chapter 15 of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (1987) P29.C64.

A Green Library General Reference Dept. guide by John Rawlings; last update 11/94.