In this indispensable reference, twenty-nine leaders in the field describe how language works — accounting for its nature, use, study, and history. An Encyclopaedia of Language provides a truly comprehensive overview of how the various branches of linguistic study have arrived at their current positions. It divides the subject into three logical sections: 1) the ''inner nature'' of language; 2) its interaction with other disciplines; and 3) some special aspects of its study and use.Readers will find detailed coverage of: how language works; how language is taught and learned; phonetics; grammar and semantics; how linguists research their subjects and interpret results; second languages; language and computation; writing systems; the history of language study; the evolution of language; the distribution of languages around the world; lexicography; dialectology; and other topics.