The World's Languages

Catalog description

Language diversity is a central part of the human experience. How many languages are there in the world, where are they spoken, and where do they come from? Why are some languages very similar, while others are very different? Why have some languages disappeared, while other languages are thriving? This course presents a general survey of language diversity in the world from the perspectives of language structure, language use, and language history. The core of the semester consists of a panoramic view of the world's main language families and the main languages in each of them. Other topics covered include: the origin of language among humans; language fragmentation and the birth of languages; language families; language contact; language endangerment and death; the main writing systems; and the meaning of bilingualism and multilingualism.