Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Paperback)

by Barbara F. Grimes (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Since its first edition, in 1951, the editors of Ethnologue have been recording the existence, locales, users, growth, and demise of languages around the globe. The efforts of numerous researchers result in a large, densely packed work with concise facts and figures. The primary purpose of the work is to provide a list of living languages, where used and by whom, but there are also a number of value-added features.

The introductory material explains the layout and the types of information available in each record. Next follows a set of statistical tables summarizing distributions, language families, and linguistic diversity. Part 1, "Languages of the World," provides country information, arranged by region. Each country entry is introduced by a paragraph noting basic general demographic information, the main languages, and the sources consulted. This is followed by a list of languages and their particular demographics. Dialects are noted along with estimated numbers of speakers, and in some cases, comments on the viability of a language are provided. It is sad to see the small numbers of documented speakers for some languages, but this is important to know in an ever-flattening and connected world.

Part 2 consists of more than 200 pages of subtly colored maps showing language distribution and locations within countries. The "Language Name Index" includes alternate names and is more than 300 pages in length. The final section of the book is a "Language Code Index" with standard three-letter -language-identifier codes. What is missing is a bibliography to go with the source citations found in the country entries.

Libraries that serve linguists, aid agencies, anthropologists, biological scientists, and researchers in other special fields will find this updated work a useful addition. It is very reasonably priced for the amount of information provided. Linda Loos Scarth
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"...the Ethnologue has grown into one of the most comprehensive catalogs of languages...a source for academics and governments..."

--Michael Erard, New York Times, July 19, 2005

"Ethnologue remains one of the most useful scholarly reference sources on languages of the world. Summing Up: Essential. All collections; all levels."

--J. M. Alexander, Carnegie Mellon University, 2005sup CHOICE web review

"a veritable guide to the world's...languages and cultures, providing a bounty of sociolinguistic and demographic data in addition to linguistic information"

--ACRL, C&RL News, March 05

"Ethnologue remains one of the most useful scholarly reference sources on languages of the world. Summing Up: Essential. All collections; all levels."

--J. M. Alexander, Carnegie Mellon University, 2005sup CHOICE web review

"a veritable guide to the world's...languages and cultures, providing a bounty of sociolinguistic and demographic data in addition to linguistic information"

--ACRL, C&RL News, March 05

"Ethnologue remains one of the most useful scholarly reference sources on languages of the world. Summing Up: Essential. All collections; all levels."

--J. M. Alexander, Carnegie Mellon University, 2005sup CHOICE web review

"a veritable guide to the world's...languages and cultures, providing a bounty of sociolinguistic and demographic data in addition to linguistic information"

--ACRL, C&RL News, March 05 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 967 pages
• Publisher: Summer Institute of Linguistics, Academic Pub; 13th Bk&CD edition (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556710267
• ISBN-13: 978-1556710261
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,431,853 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars linguistic heaven, January 17, 2007

By	Daniel B. Clendenin (www.journeywithjesus.net) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th Edition (Hardcover)

From A Fala de Xálima, which is spoken in Portugal, to Zyudin, a dialect of Komi-Permynk spoken in the Urals, Ethnologue has distinguished itself as the best single source of information about all the known languages of the world. Richard Pittman produced the first "edition" in 1951, a mimeographed version that identified 46 languages. This 15th edition raises the bar to 7,299 known languages, and supercedes the 14th edition of 2000 with over 50,000 updates and corrections, including 103 previously unidentified languages.

The purpose of the Ethnologue comes closer to a catalog than an encyclopedia: "to provide a comprehensive listing of the known living languages of the world." That is no small task given the controversial issues surrounding the nature of language. How does one define a language? What criteria differentiate a dialect from a distinct language? How to track the 497 languages that are classified as "nearly extinct" and that face "language death" because they have fewer than 50 speakers? The Ethnologue tackles all these issues and more in its introduction, including such matters as deaf sign language for 119 languages.

After its introduction and overview (pp. 7-13), Ethnologue contains six major sections. An initial section presents general statistical summaries in a table format (pp. 15-36). We learn, for example, that although there are some 94 "language families," six "major" language families encompass two-thirds of all known languages and five-sixths of the world's population. Or again, Papua New Guinea is the most "linguistically diverse" country in the world with 820 languages among its 3.67 million people. Nor do these languages constitute mere sterile statistics. In one of the most volatile and war-torn regions of the world, two of the smallest and least linguistically diverse countries, Rwanda (fifth least diverse) and Burundi (seventh least diverse), are sandwiched between two of the largest and most linguistically diverse countries, Democratic Republic of Congo (seventh most diverse) and Tanzania (fourth most diverse). The second section is the largest in the book, listing all known living languages by geographical area and country (pp. 39-672), including brief comments about the language based upon 31 different variables--for example, the ethnicity or religion of its speaker population, the related dialects, bilingualism, age groups, and so on. I especially enjoyed looking at the language maps of the world in the third section (pp. 673-887), where a dot represents a language, giving one a sense of what you might think of as "linguistic diversity density." Some parts of the world map are crammed and crowded with overlapping dots, while other parts have large sections where a single language or two dominates. The fourth section grocery lists the 7,299 languages alphabetically (pp. 891-1229). A language code index (pp. 1231-1270) assigns each language a three-letter code, which is now used by the ISO (ISO 639-3) as the international standard for language identification. A final index lists the countries of the world alphabetically by name (pp. 1271-1272).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The be all and (almost) end all...., October 23, 2007

By	Khaadim One "MZHAB" (Leicester, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th Edition (Hardcover)

An absolute must for any lover of languages. Thousands of languages reviewed. Langauages by country and continent. Amazing country maps with languages (and dialects) spoken throughout different regions, shown along with details of language family. This really is a must-buy for linguists.

1.0 out of 5 stars On a mission, July 6, 2009

By	Giacomo (Dearborn, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th Edition (Hardcover)

I was disappointed with myself that I didn't notice I had purchased the 12th edition (used 1992)but more importantly that this book was initiated as a catalogue for Christian missionaries. After the entry for GREEK, it states "NT 1638-1989". I thought the NT, New Testament, was originally written in Greek.
I will keep it as a handy catalogue of languages, but I will look elsewhere for information on the languages of the world.