Cette série propose des aperçus généraux des grandes familles de langues du monde. Chaque volume explore les caractéristiques typologiques, les relations génétiques et le développement historique des langues traitées. Il aborde également les questions sociolinguistiques et le rôle contemporain que jouent ces langues à l'échelle mondiale. Destinée principalement aux étudiants et professionnels de la linguistique, la série s'adresse aussi à un public général intéressé par la dynamique et l'avenir des langues et de leurs locuteurs.
The book offers an in-depth exploration of Romance languages, analyzing them through various lenses. It covers their historical development, linguistic features, and cultural significance, providing insights into the evolution and diversity of these languages. The survey aims to enhance understanding of the connections among Romance languages and their impact on contemporary communication and identity.
Afroasiatic languages are spoken by some 300 million people in Northern, Central and Eastern Africa and the Middle East. This book is the first typological study of these languages, which are comprised of around 375 living and extinct varieties. They are an important object of study because of their typological diversity in the areas of phonology (some have tone; others do not), morphology (some have extensive inflectional systems; others do not), position of the verb in the clause (some are verb-initial, some are verb-medial, and some are verb-final) and in the semantic functions they encode. This book documents this typological diversity and the typological similarities across the languages and includes information on endangered and little-known languages. Requiring no previous knowledge of the specific language families, it will be welcomed by linguists interested in linguistic theory, typology, historical linguistics and endangered languages, as well as scholars of Africa and the Middle East.
A study of the Chinese language, tracing its history from its beginings in the second millennium BC to the present day.
An overview of the socio-historical development of some one hundred different pidgins and creoles.
This first volume of Holm's extensive survey of pidgins and creoles offers a contemporary and accessible introduction to a field that has emerged in recent decades. Aimed at both students and general readers with a foundational understanding of linguistics, the book's unique perspective will also engage specialists seeking a comprehensive overview of linguistic relationships among these languages. Creolized versions of English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, and others developed during European colonial expansion, leading to creoles like Jamaican, Haitian, Papiamentu, and approximately one hundred others, as well as semi-creoles such as Afrikaans and American Black English. Traditionally, scholars have focused on specific language varieties in isolation, complicating comparative research on the origins, evolution, and structure of creoles. Holm's work draws on extensive studies of multiple languages to highlight the significant similarities among creoles and to challenge existing linguistic theories. The volume emphasizes empirical analysis over mere description, featuring a comparative study of creoles derived from European languages in Africa and the Caribbean, showcasing notable similarities in lexical semantics, phonology, and syntax. A subsequent volume will provide a socio-historic overview of language development and include text examples with translations of the restructured languages.