Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference Guide to More Than 400 Languages.Andrew Dalby Andrew Dalby (born Liverpool, 1947) is an English linguist, translator and historian who most often writes about food history. Dalby studied at the Bristol Grammar School, where he learned some Latin, French and Greek; then at the University of Cambridge. . Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference Guide to More Than 400 Languages. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is an academic press based in New York City and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by James D. Jordan (2004-present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fields of literary and cultural studies, , 2004. Andrew Dalby, the Honorary Librarian of the Institute of Linguistics in London and the author of many books--most recently Language in Danger (2003)--provides in this volume a highly practical work and an excellent source for browsing and reference for the non-specialist. In the Dictionary of Languages, readers will find: * A selection of four hundred languages and language groups, arranged alphabetically al·pha·bet·i·cal also al·pha·bet·ic adj. 1. Arranged in the customary order of the letters of a language. 2. Of, relating to, or expressed by an alphabet. , with rich, detailed descriptions of the genesis, development, and current status of each. * More than two hundred maps displaying where the languages are spoken today. * Sidebars showing alphabets, numerals, and other engaging facts. * A comprehensive index listing additional languages, guiding readers to the nearest language groups with full write-ups and maps. * Charts breaking down large language groups--such as Bantu or Austroasiatic languages--by geographic region and approximate number of speakers. * A glossary of English words and sounds. In a section labeled "Questions and Answers," Dalby asks, "Are some languages more difficult to learn than others?" He answers: "In the abstract, no. Whatever language they learn from those around them, whether it is English or Chinese or Nahuatl, by the age of about seven children have learnt it pretty well. Writing systems, which are conscious inventions, differ from natural language. Chinese script really is much more difficult to learn than alphabets like Latin or Arabic. When we learn a new language later in life, it will be easier if it is close to the structure and vocabulary we already know. There are some languages that even practiced linguists A linguist in the academic sense is a person who studies linguistics. Ambiguously, the word is sometimes also used to refer to a polyglot (one who knows more than 2 languages), or a grammarian, but these two uses of the word are distinct. have found unusually difficult--Basque and Khoisan Languages Khoisan languages Group of more than 20 languages presently spoken by perhaps several hundred thousand Khoekhoe and San peoples of southern Africa. A number of Khoisan languages are now either extinct or spoken by very few people. among them." To the question, "Is it difficult for children to grow up bilingual?" Dalby replies, "In most communities it is necessary and natural. In some, notably among English speakers in Britain and the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , bilingualism is very rare and quite difficult to achieve, not because children are less intelligent or less gifted linguistically, but because the environment they grow up in is not naturally bilingual." Language lovers, linguists, and lay readers will find the Dictionary of Languages an easy-to-navigate, authoritative guide to the world's languages and language groups at the end of the twentieth century. And, mirabile dictu mi·ra·bi·le dic·tu interj. Wonderful to relate. [Latin m  r , this 735 page paperback edition retails
for only $19.95. As my mother is fond of saying, "It's a mad
bargain!"
REVIEW BY MARTIN H. LEVINSON, PH.D. |
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