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Language file
In this last part of the book, details are given of some 280 languages. Given that
there are somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 languages in the world, this is
clearly a very small sample, and the chances of finding a language which is not
on the list are considerably higher than those of finding a language which is
treated. However, the sample here is not a random one (and this may have
implications for the uses to which the list can put) but a sample of opportunity,
which means that well-described languages and major languages stand a far
better chance of figuring here than poorly-described languages and minor languages.
Nevertheless, some extinct or near-extinct languages are listed, especially
where these are isolates or otherwise of linguistic interest.
Warnings
Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided
here is as accurate as possible, there are inevitably a large number of gaps and
inaccuracies. Not only is it incredibly easy to misunderstand a description (for
instance, to read an unusual construction as being a typical one), but much of
the material here is provided at second or third hand, which magnifies the possibility
of error. In some cases, sources may even disagree quite radically.
Where number of speakers is concerned, this is normal, figures fluctuating
according to the latest census figures or the latest estimates in the Ethnologue
(Grimes 1988). Often these figures show a disheartening drop in the numbers
of speakers still using minority languages, as more and more languages head for
language death. It is perhaps less expected when it is a matter of structural
factors, yet sources can still disagree, and the outcome here is simply a matter
of guesswork. For example, Maddieson (1984) states that Haida has three