Concise Compendium of the World´s Languages

From Afrikaans to Zulu, almost 100 languages from the comprehensive Compendium of the World's Languages are featured in this concise version. Many articles have been revised.
The Concise Compendium presents a detailed comparative study of the major and many of the lesser-known languages of the world. Included are representatives of most language families, with samples of Amerindian, such as Navajo, Quechua and Mapudungu, and of African languages, such as Fulani and Nama; languages of the new independent states of the former Soviet Union, for example Uzbek and Belorussian; and languages of certain ethnic units aspiring to self-determination, such as Basque and Breton.
Throughout, the treatment is factual and jargon-free. Articles are ordered alphabetically and each has a standard structure for ease of reference, including:
* general historical and sociolinguistic introduction
* writing system
* sound system
* grammatical system
A passage from the Gospel of St John is used to illustrate those languages which have a written tradition. The scripts are explained in an appendix at the end of the book.