02478cam a2200337 i 4500 295858524 TxAuBib 20100106120000.0 081022s2008||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2008431834 9780500514115 hbk. 0500514119 hbk. (OCoLC)222155911 eng rda TxAuBib rda 1000 languages [BOOK] : the worldwide history of living and lost tongues / [edited by] Peter K. Austin. One thousand languages. Thousand languages. London : Thames & Hudson, 2008. 288 pages : illustrations (some color), maps ; 26 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references and index. World languages -- European languages -- North and West African languages -- Central, East, and Southern African languages -- South Asian languages -- Central, Western, and Northern Asian languages -- East and South East Asian languages -- Australia-Pacific languages -- Languages of the Americas -- Endangered languages -- Extinct languages. There are more than six thousand languages used around the world today, although linguists now estimate that by the year 2050 as many as half of those will be extinct. This beautifully designed, engagingly written reference takes us on a panoramic tour of the globe to explore this unique and endangered human gift. Generously illustrated throughout with color photographs, informative sidebars, and clear maps and graphics, One Thousand Languages illuminates the sources, characteristics, and interrelationships of the world`s spoken tongues. It looks in detail at the eleven global languages, then delves into the major languages of each world region in turn. Each entry gives a history of the growth and development of the language, details the number of speakers, and traces its geographical spread. The volume also provides information on many extinct languages. A detailed map section tracks the migrations of the major languages, and the book also tells how to count to ten in more than 250 ways. Provided by publisher. 20100106. Linguistic geography. Language and languages. Language and languages. Origin. Austin, Peter.