Designed for students with no prior experience in linguistics, this is an engaging guide to the rich variety and typology of world languages. This third edition has been updated with new problem sets, an updated glossary and index, and a new section on linguistic cartography.

Are you curious to know what all languages have in common and how they differ? Do you want to find out how language can be used to trace different peoples and their past? Now in its fourth edition, this fascinating book guides beginners through the rich diversity of the world's languages. It presupposes no background in linguistics, and introduces key concepts with the help of problem sets, end-of-chapter exercises and an extensive bibliography. It is illustrated with detailed maps and charts...