Some
useful references on languages, history of linguistics,
writing systems, general linguistics, and works in Chinese
Languages
of the world:
Comrie, Bernard, ed. The
World's Major Languages. New York & Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1990. 1025pp. Paper.
Gordon, Raymond G. Jr., ed. Ethnologue:
Languages of the World. 15th ed. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International,
2005. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com/.
Koo, John H. & Robert N. St. Clair, with Giovanni Rapelli. Languages
of the World. Seoul: Hanshin, 1992. 341pp.
Lyovin, Anatole. An
Introduction to the Languages of the World. New York & Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1997. 491pp. Paper.
Ruhlen, Merritt. A
Guide to the World's Languages: Volume 1: Classification, With a postscript
on recent developments. London: Edward Arnold, 1987. 463pp. Paper.
Shopen, Timothy, ed. Languages
and their Status. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press,
1987. 335pp. Paper.
Shopen, Timothy, ed. Languages
and their Speakers. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press,
1987. 300pp. Paper.
History
of linguistics and linguistic theories:
Edmondson, Jerold. A.
& Donald A. Burquest. A
Survey of Linguistic Theories. 3rd. ed. Dallas: SIL, 1999. 243pp.
Paper.
Fremantle, Anne. A
Primer of Linguistics. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1974. 321pp.
Harris, Roy & Talbot J. Taylor. Landmarks
in Linguistic Thought: The Western Tradition from Socrates to Saussure.
London & New York: Routledge. 199pp. Paper.
Law, Vivien. Grammar
and Grammarians in the Early Middle Ages. London & New York:
Longman, 1997. 305pp. Paper.
Law,
Vivien. The
History of Linguistics in Europe: From Plato to 1600. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2003. 326pp.
Lepschy, Giulio, ed. History of Linguistics. Volume
I: The Eastern Traditions of Linguistics. 1994. 203pp. Volume
II: Classical and Medieval Linguistics. 380pp. Volume
III: Renaissance and Early Modern Linguistics. 263pp. Volume
IV: Nineteenth-century
Linguistics. Anna
Morpurgo Davies. 434pp.
London &
New York:
Longman. Paper.
Newmeyer, Frederick J. Linguistic
Theory in America: The First Quarter-Century of Transformational Generative
Grammar, 2nd ed. Burlington MA: Academic Press. 280pp.
Robins, R. H. A
Short History of Linguistics. London: Longman, 1997. 282pp.
Sampson, Geoffrey. Schools
of Linguistics. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1980. 283pp.
Paper.
Writing systems:
Chadwick, John. The
Decipherment of Linear B: The Key to the Ancient Language and Culture of Crete
and Mycenae. New York: Random House, 1958. 157pp. Paper. Read
it like a detective novel.
Coulmas, Florian. The
Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems. Oxford: Blackwell,
1996. 603pp. Paper.
Coulmas, Florian. The
Writing Systems of the World. Oxford UK & Cambridge US: Blackwell,
1989. 302pp. Paper.
Gaur, Albertine. A
History of Writing, rev. ed. New York: Cross River Press, 1984.
236pp. Paper.
Gelb, I. J. A
Study of Writing: A discussion of the general principles governing the use
and evolution of writing. Chicago & London: University of
Chicago Press, 1962. 319pp. Paper.
Harris, Roy. The
Origin of Writing. London: Duckworth, 1986. 166pp.
Jean, Georges. Writing:
The Story of Alphabets and Scripts. New York: Harry N. Adams,
1982. 207pp. Paper.
Nakanishi, Akira. Writing
Systems of the World: Alphabets, Syllabaries, Pictograms. Rutland
& Tokyo: Tuttle, 1980. 122pp. Paper.
Sampson, Geoffrey.
Writing
Systems: A Linguistic Introduction. Stanford: Stanford University
Press. 234pp. Paper.
A few classics of
general linguistics:
Bloomfield, Leonard. Language.
Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 1984. Reprint of 1933 ed.
564pp. Paper.
Jespersen, Otto. Language:
its nature, development and origin. New York: Henry Holt, 1923.
448pp.
de Saussure, Ferdinand. Roy Harris, translator. Course
in General Linguistics. Peru, Ill: Open Court, 1986. 236pp.
Works in Chinese:
李壬癸. 珍惜臺灣南島語言.
臺北：前衛, 2010.