
Abkhaz-Adyghe Languages Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
Also called Northwest Caucasian or West Caucasian languages. They are spoken primarily in the northwestern Caucasus, though there are also

Ache-Chamic Languages Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
A branch of Western Malayo-Polynesian. They are spoken in Sumatra, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and China.

Acoustic Phonetics Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
Sound waves form the physical link between speaker and hearer. Central to the field of acoustic phonetics are the concepts

actantial model Reference library
Encyclopedia of Semiotics
Actant is a term that was introduced into narratology and semiotics in 1966 by Algirdas Julien Greimas as a synonym

acting Reference library
Encyclopedia of Semiotics
In theater, the actor is the key element in the complex network of signs that constitutes theatrical performance. It is

Adamawa Languages Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
Spoken in eastern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, and southern Chad, with some extension into the Central African Republic. They form one

Adjectivalization in Morphology Reference library
Petra Sleeman
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Morphology
Adjectival derivation is the derivation of an adjective from a verb, a noun, or an adjective. Fábregas and Marín (...

Adjunction Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
In the theory of generative grammar, transformations are said to map phrase markers into other phrase markers. Transformational operations are

Admiralty Islands Languages Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
Spoken in Papua New Guinea, on the Admiralty Islands; they constitute a top-level component of the Oceanic Languages.

African Languages Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
The African continent forms one of the most complex linguistic areas of the world; estimates of the number of languages

Agreement Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
This entry includes the following sub-entries:

Agreement Morphology Reference library
Patricia Cabredo Hofherr
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Morphology

Algonquian Languages Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
The Algonquian (less commonly, Algonkian) family comprises 30 or more languages, spoken around 1600 in northeastern and central North America—and,

allegory Reference library
Encyclopedia of Semiotics
encompasses messages expressed in manners other than plain speaking. The term is derived from the Greek allos (other) and agoreuein

Altaic Languages Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
This group of language families occupies large areas of Central and East Asia. From the 19th century on, this term

American Descriptivist Morphology in the 1950s Reference library
John Goldsmith
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Morphology

Amharic Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
The most prominent language of Ethiopia, Amharic was the official language under the constitution adopted in 1987 but was downgraded

Analogy in Morphology Reference library
David Fertig
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Morphology
Linguists use the term analogy in a wide variety of senses. This article focuses on its use in the Neogrammarian tradition that dates back to the last quarter of the ...

Andamanese Languages Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
A family which comprises the family of indigenous languages of the Andaman Islands of India.

Arabic Reference library
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 ed.)
Before the Arab expansion as a result of the Muslim conquests in the 7th and 8th centuries CE, Arabic was