A four-volume reference comprising approximately seven hundred alphabetically ordered entries, the IEL provides detailed and up-to-date information on all branches of linguistics. The IEL encompasses the full range of the contemporary field of linguistics, including historical, comparative, formal, mathematical, functional, and philosophical linguistics. It gives special attention to interrelations within branches of linguistics and to relations of linguistics with other disciplines, and covers areas of intersection with the social and behavioral sciences, as well as interdisciplinary work in language and literatures, mathematical linguistics, computational linguistics, and applied linguistics. Providing abundant examples with literal glosses and English translations, the IEL offers extensive coverage of languages and language families, from English and Japanese to Hittite and Yoruba. Bringing together the latest information on the diverse subject matters of linguistics, and including a network of cross references, this encyclopedia is an invaluable resource.