LibGuides: Endangered Languages: General Resources

Basic Information on World Langauges

Good Starting Points

Ethnologue This link opens in a new window
This database lists a total of 7,099 living languages worldwide. In addition to living languages, Ethnologue also contains data on languages which have gone out of use since the first appearance of the publication 66 years ago. This edition lists 360 such recently extinct languages. Ancient, classical, and long-extinct languages are not listed (even though the ISO 639-3 standard assigns codes to them), unless they are in current use, such as in the scriptures or liturgy of a faith community. The database also has country-level information and international conventions for each language. Explore Language Profiles, Country Profiles, Family Trees, and Classic Maps. Please note that the U of I subscription does not currently provide access to Country Digests and Premium Maps.

Omniglot--Online Encyclopedia of Languages and Writing

Books from Library Catalog

Cataloguing the World's Endangered Languages by Lyle Campbell (Editor); Anna Belew (Editor)
ISBN: 1317413903
Publication Date: 2018
Cataloguing the World's Endangered Languages brings together the results of the extensive and influential Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ELCat) project. Based on the findings from the most extensive endangered languages research project, this is the most comprehensive source of accurate information on endangered languages. The book presents the academic and scientific findings that underpin the online Catalogue, located at www.endangeredlanguages.com, making it an essential companion to the website for academics and researchers working in this area. While the online Catalogue displays much data from the ELCat project, this volume develops and emphasizes aspects of the research behind the data and includes topics of great interest in the field, not previously covered in a single volume. Cataloguing the World's Endangered Languages is an important volume of particular interest to academics and researchers working with endangered languages.
Compendium of the World's Languages by George L. Campbell; Gareth King
ISBN: 9780415499699
Publication Date: 2012
This third edition of Compendium of the World's Languages has been thoroughly revised to provide up-to-date and accurate descriptions of a wide selection of natural language systems. All cultural and historical notes as well as statistical data have been checked, updated and in many cases expanded. Presenting an even broader range of languages and language families, including new coverage of Australian aboriginal languages and expanded treatment of North American and African languages, this new edition offers a total of 342 entries over nearly 2000 pages. Key features include: Complete rewriting, systematization and regularisation of the phonology sections Provision of IPA symbol grids arranged by articulatory feature and by alphabetic resemblance to facilitate use of the new phonology sections Expansion of morphology descriptions for most major languages Provision of new illustrative text samples Addition of a glossary of technical terms and an expanded bibliography Comparative tables of the numerals 1-10 in a representative range of languages, and also grouped by family Drawing upon a wealth of recent developments and research in language typology and broadened availability of descriptive data, this new incarnation of George Campbell's astounding Compendium brings a much-loved survey emphatically into the twenty-first century for a new generation of readers. Scholarly, comprehensive and highly accessible, Compendium of the World's Languages remains the ideal reference for all interested linguists and professionals alike.
Dictionary of Languages by Andrew Dalby
ISBN: 9780231115681
Publication Date: 1998
Endangered Languages in the 21st Century by Eda Derhemi (Editor); Christopher Moseley (Editor)
ISBN: 1003260284
Publication Date: 2023
Endangered Languages in the 21st Century provides research on endangered languages in the contemporary world, the challenges still to be faced, the work still to be done, and the methods and practices that have come to characterize efforts to revive and maintain disadvantaged indigenous languages around the world. With contributions from scholars across the field, the book brings fresh data and insights to this imperative, but still relatively young, field of linguistics. While the studies acknowledge the threat of losing languages in an unprecedented way, they focus on cases that show resilience and explore paths to sustainable progress. The articles are also intended as a celebration of the twenty-five years' work of the Foundation for Endangered Languages, and as a parting gift to FEL's founder and quarter-century chair, Nick Ostler. This book will be informative for researchers, instructors, and specialists in the field of endangered languages. The book can also be useful for university graduate or undergraduate students, and language activists.
Languages of the World by Pereltsvaig, Asya
ISBN: 9781139224161
Publication Date: 2012
The Routledge Concise Compendium of the World's Languages by George L. Campbell; Gareth King
ISBN: 1135692637
Publication Date: 2018-12-07
This second edition of The Routledge Concise Compendium of the World's Languages has been completely revised to provide up-to-date and accurate descriptions of a wide cross-section of natural-language systems. All cultural and historical notes as well as statistical data for each language have been checked, updated and in many cases expanded. Now offering an even broader range of languages including a greater number of the lesser-known ones, such as Cree, Maltese and Haitian Creole, this new edition of The Routledge Concise Compendium covers a total of 111 languages. Key features include: complete rewriting and systematization of the phonology sections for all languages provision of IPA symbol grids arranged by articulatory feature and by alphabetic resemblance to facilitate use of the new phonology sections expansion of morphology descriptions for all languages provision of new illustrative text samples addition of a glossary of technical terms comparative tables of the numerals 1-10 in all languages covered, and also grouped by family classification by genetic relationship of all languages covered. Using the wealth of recent developments and research in language typology and broadened availability of descriptive data, this new incarnation of The Routledge Concise Compendium brings a much-loved survey emphatically into the twenty-first century for a new generation of readers. The Routledge Concise Compendium of the World's Languages remains the ideal compact reference for all interested linguistics and professionals alike. Gary King is Series Advisor for the Roultedge Colloquials and the author of numerous books on language and linguistics. He is also UCAS co-ordinator and a lecturer at a large sixth-form college. George L. Campbell worked for the BBC World Service and was a polyglot linguist and translator.
The World's Major Languages by Bernard Comrie (Editor)
ISBN: 1315644932
Publication Date: 2018
The World's Major Languages features over 50 of the world's languages and language families. This revised edition includes updated bibliographies for each chapter and up-to-date census figures. The featured languages have been chosen based on the number of speakers, their role as official languages and their cultural and historical importance. Each language is looked at in depth, and the chapters provide information on both grammatical features and on salient features of the language's history and cultural role. The World's Major Languages is an accessible and essential reference work for linguists.

TIP: To find information on specific language families, search the Primo Library Catalog using family names such as "indo-european languages".

Statistics

Good Starting Points

The CIA World Factbook Online--provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.

International Data Base (IDB)
Database containing statistical tables of demographic, and socio-economic data for 227 countries and areas of the world. Provides information dating back as far as 1950 and as far ahead as 2050. From the U.S. Census Bureau’s International Programs Center.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics--The United Nation's educational, scientific, and cultural organization's list of education, literacy, science and technology, culture and communication statistics.

Other Sites for Statistics

Endangered Languages Archive--this archive is part of OLAC, the Open Language Archives Community, is an international partnership of institutions and individuals who are creating a worldwide virtual library of language resources by: (i) developing consensus on best current practice for the digital archiving of language resources, and (ii) developing a network of interoperating repositories and services for housing and accessing such resources.

Open Language Archive-- is an international partnership of institutions and individuals who are creating a worldwide virtual library of language resources by: (i) developing consensus on best current practice for the digital archiving of language resources, and (ii) developing a network of interoperating repositories and services for housing and accessing such resources.

More Statistics

The Library offers a wide array of statistics, many of which might contain information on world languages. To find guides to Library Statistic, use the Library Homepage to search the Library Guides for "statistics."

International Statistical Sources from the International and Area Studies Library

<TIP: Wikipedia: While Wikipedia is not always a reliable source, as entries are not always written by authorities, it can be an excellent place for links to authoritative websites, such as government webpages.

Maps & Atlases

TIP: To find more linguistic atlases, search the Library Catalog using the search term "linguistic atlas" plus a specific language or region.

The Atlas of Languages by Bernard Comrie; Stephen Matthews; Maria Polinsky
ISBN: 0816051232
Publication Date: 2003
This book fully documents the origin and development of language throughout the world, how certain languages have died out and how new words emerged. In addition the book documents ancient and modern alphabet systems.
Atlas of the World's Languages by Christopher Moseley (Editor); R. E. Asher (Editor)
ISBN: 0415310741
Publication Date: 2007
Before the first appearance of the Atlas of the World's Languages in 1993, all the world's languages had never been accurately and completely mapped. The Atlas depicts the location of every known living language, including languages on the point of extinction. This fully revised edition of the Atlas offers: up-to-date research, some from fieldwork in early 2006 a general linguistic history of each section an overview of the genetic relations of the languages in each section statistical and sociolinguistic information a large number of new or completely updated maps further reading and a bibliography for each section a cross-referenced language index of over 6,000 languages. Presenting contributions from international scholars, covering over 6,000 languages and containing over 150 full-colour maps, the Atlas of the World's Languages is the definitive reference resource for every linguistic and reference library.
The United Nations World Water Development Report 3 by Unesco Staff (Contribution by); World Water Assessment Programme (United Nations) Staff (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9789231040955
Publication Date: 2009
Online version: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000187026

The United Nations World Water Development Report, published every three years, is a comprehensive review providing an authoritative picture of the state of the world's freshwater resources. It offers best practices as well as in-depth theoretical analyses to help stimulate ideas and actions for better stewardship in the water sector. It is the only report of its kind, resulting from the collaboration and contributions of the 26 UN agencies, commissions, program, funds, secretariats and conventions that have a significant role in addressing global water concerns.

United States

MLA Languages of the US
The MLA Language Map is for students, teachers, and anyone interested in learning about the linguistic and cultural composition of the United States. The Language Map Data Center provides information about over three hundred languages spoken in the United States, using data from the 2006–10 ACS, ACS 2005, and the 2000 US Census.

Atlas of North American English by William Labov (Editor); Sharon Ash (Editor); Charles Boberg
ISBN: 9783110167467
Publication Date: 2005
The Atlas of North American English provides the first overall view of the pronunciation and vowel systems of the dialects of the U.S. and Canada. The Atlas re-defines the regional dialects of American English on the basis of sound changes active in the 1990s and draws new boundaries reflecting those changes. It is based on a telephone survey of 762 local speakers, representing all the urbanized areas of North America. It has been developed by Bill Labov, one of the leading sociolinguists of the world, together with his colleagues Sharon Ash and Charles Boberg.