Library Guides: Linguistics Library Guide: Background Info

Encyclopedias & Reference

Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics by Keith Brown (Editor-In-Chief)
Call Number: P 29 .E48 2006 and online
ISBN: 0080442994
Publication Date: 2005
* List of languages of the world (including information on no. of speakers, language family, etc.) * Approximately 700 biographical entries (now includes contemporary linguists) * 200 language maps.
Encyclopedia of Linguistics by Philipp Strazny (Editor)
Call Number: P 29 .E483 2005
ISBN: 1579583911
Publication Date: 2004
Containing over 500 alphabetically arranged entries and an expansive glossary, the Encyclopedia of Linguistics explores the varied perspectives, figures, and methodologies that make up the field.
Key Ideas in Linguistics and the Philosophy of Language by Siobhan Chapman; Christopher Routledge
Call Number: P107 .K48 2009 and online
ISBN: 9780748626199
Publication Date: 2009
Introductory entries on 80 ideas that have shaped the study of language up to the present day, written by experts in the fields of linguistics and the philosophy of language.
Linguistics: A Guide to the Reference Literature by Anna L. DeMiller; James Rettig (Contribution by)
Call Number: P 121 .D44 2000 and online
ISBN: 1563086190
Publication Date: 2000
A bibliographic guide to information sources for linguistics, DeMiller's detailed citations describe and evaluate each work, often offering comparisons to similar titles.

Check the Wikipedia article for a language, and you'll likely find lots of citations to Ethnologue.

Ethnologue This link opens in a new window
An encyclopedic reference work cataloging all of the world’s 6,909 known living languages.
NOTE: When downloading a guide for a language, you will be asked to agree to the license terms. If you agree and click through, Ethnologue will place your “order” before your download will start. Ethnologue manages their downloads for Institutional licenses in this manner and you won’t be charged due to the university's institutional subscription.

The World Atlas of Language Structures by Bernard Comrie; Hans-Jörg Bibiko (As told to); Hagen Jung (As told to); Claudia Schmidt (As told to); Martin Haspelmath; David Gil; Matthew S. Dryer
Call Number: P 143 .W67 2005
ISBN: 0199255911
Publication Date: 2005
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.
The Atlas of Languages by Bernard Comrie; Stephen Matthews; Maria Polinsky
Call Number: P107 .A87 2003
ISBN: 9780816051236
Publication Date: 2003
A detailed account of the language families of each region of the world, with more than 30 full-color maps identify the geographical distribution of languages, both historical and contemporary.
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language by David Crystal
Call Number: P 29 .C64 1997
ISBN: 0521550505
Publication Date: 1997
Second edition includes color maps.