Language families
See further D. Crystal (1987: 296-328), The cambridge encyclopedia of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; K. Katzner (1986), The languages of the world. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Languages in bold have been
described systemic-functionally.
| Region | Family | (Examples of) Languages | |||
| Europe, Asia | Indo-European | Germanic | West Germanic | Anglo-Frisian | English (Halliday, 1994; Matthiessen, 1995), Frisian |
| German | German (Teich, 1995; Steiner et al, 1994), Dutch-Flemish (Degand, 199), Afrikaans, Yiddish | ||||
| East Germanic | (Gothic) | ||||
| North Germanic | Swedish, Danish (in progress), Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese | ||||
| Romance | Spanish (in progress), French (Caffarel, 1996), Italian, Portuguese, Rumanian | ||||
| Hellenic | Greek | ||||
| Celtic | Irish (Cleirigh, 1998 [phonology]), Scots Gaelic, Welsh, Breton | ||||
| Baltic | Lithuanian, Latvian | ||||
| Slavic | East Slavic | Russian, Ukrainian | |||
| West Slavic | Polish, Czech, Slovak | ||||
| South Slavic | Bulgarian, Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian | ||||
| Indo-Iranian | Dardic | Kashmiri | |||
| Iranian | Persian, Kurdish, Baluchi, | ||||
| Indic | Hindi, Urdu (Hasan, 1984), Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Assamese, Rajasthani, Sindhi, Nepali (Dahal, in prep.), Sinhalese, Romany | ||||
| Europe | Uralic | Finno-Ugric | Finnic | Finnish (Shore, 1991; 1996), Estonian, Lappish | |
| Ugric | Hungarian | ||||
| Samoyed | Nenets, Selkup, Enets | ||||
| Asia | Altaic | Turkic | Southwestern (Oghuz) | Turkish, Azerbaijani | |
| Northwestern (Kipchak) | Kazakh, Kirgiz, Tatar, Bashkir | ||||
| Southwestern (Chagatai) | Uzbek, Uigur | ||||
| Northeastern | Altai, Khakass | ||||
| Mongolian | Mongolian, Kalmyk | ||||
| Tungusic | Evenki, Manchu | ||||
| Altaic?: | Japanese | Japanese (Teruya, 1995, 1996, 1998, forthc.; Nanri, ms; Thompson, in prep.), Ryu:kyuan | |||
| Altaic?: | Korean | Korean (in progress) | |||
| Asia | Palaeosiberian | Luorawetlan | Chukchi, Koryak, Kamchadal, Aliutor, Kerek | ||
| Yukaghir | Yukaghir | ||||
| Yeniseian | Ket | ||||
| The Caucasus | Caucasian | Abkhazo-Adyghian | Abkhaz, Adyghe | ||
| Nakho-Dagestanian | Nakh | Chechen, Ingush, Batsbiy | |||
| Avar, Lak, Dargi, Udi | |||||
| Kartvelian (Iberian) | Georgian, Zan | ||||
| Asia | Dravidian | Telugu (Prakasam, forthc.; phonology: Prakasam, 1992), Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Gondi, Tulu, Brahuim Nakti | |||
| Asia | Sino-Tibetan | Sinitic | Chinese (Halliday, 1956, 1959; Halliday & Matthiessen, forthc.: Ch. 7; McDonald, Teaching grammar of Chinese; many writings by Chinese scholars [separate biblio]) | ||
| Tibeto-Burman | Tibetan, Burmese, Lisu, Lahu, Karen, Newari, Lepcha | ||||
| Tai | Thai, Lao | ||||
| Miao-Yao | Miao, Yao | ||||
| Austro-Asiatic | Mon-Khmer | Cambodian, Mon, Khasi | |||
| Vietnamese (Thai, 1998, forthc.) | |||||
| Munda | Mundari, Sentali | ||||
| Nicobarese | |||||
| Asia - Pacific | Austronesian | Indonesian | Bahasa Indonesia (Sutjaja, 1988; Tou, 1988), Malay, Javanese, Sundanese, Tagalog (Martin, 1981; 1990; 1996), Visayan, Malagasy, Achinese, Batak, Balinese, Ilocano, Bikol, Chamorro, Palau | ||
| Micronesian | Gilbertese, Marshallese, Ponapean, Yapese, Trukese, Nauruan | ||||
| Melanesian | Fijian, Motu, Yabim, Tolai | ||||
| Polynesian | Maori, Somoan, Tongan, Rarotongan, Tahitian, Hawaiian | ||||
| Papua New Guinea | Papuan (geographical term; around 60 small families (Foley, 1986)) | Many major languages encompassing around 750 lgs, e.g. Enga, Yimas, Kalam, Hua, Kâte, Fore, Barai | |||
| Australia | Australian aboriginal (geographical term; "no higher-level family tree can be justified" — Dixon, 1997: 92) | Pama-Nyungan | Dyirbal, Western Desert Pitjantjatjara (Rose, 1993; 1996; 1998; forthc.), Yidini, Warlpiri, | ||
| Non P-N | Alawa, Nunggubuyu, Tiwi | ||||
| ? | Bunuban | Gooniyandi (McGregor, 1990), Bunuba | |||
| Africa | Afro-Asiatic | Semitic | North Arabic | Arabic, Maltese | |
| (Hamito- | Canaanitic | Hebrew | |||
| Semitic) | Aramaic | Syriac, Aramaic, Assyrian | |||
| Ethiopic | Amharic, Tigrinnya, Tigre, Gurage, Harari, Geez | ||||
| Berber | Shluh, Tamazight, Riffian, Kabyle, Shawia, Tuareg | ||||
| Cushitic | Somali, Galla, Sidamo, Beja (Hudson, 1972), Afar, Saho | ||||
| Egyptian | Coptic | ||||
| Chadic | Hausa | ||||
| Niger-Congo | Western | Mande | Mende, Malinke, Bambara, Kpelle, Vai | ||
| Sudanic | West Atlantic | Fulani, Wolof, Serer, Balante | |||
| Gur (Voltaic) | Mossi, Furma, Kabre | ||||
| Kwa | Yoruba, Ibo, Ewe, Twi, Akan (Matthiessen, ms), Fanti, Ga, Adangme, Fon, Edo, Nupe, Kru, Bassa | ||||
| Benue-Congo | Bantu | Swahili, Luba, Kongo, Ruanda, Kikuyu, Nkole, Chewa, Bemba, Shona, Tsonga, Sotho, Zulu, Xhosa | |||
| Efik, Tiv | |||||
| Adamawa- | Adamawa | Mbum | |||
| Eastern | Eastern | Zande, Sango, Gbaya, Banda | |||
| Nilo-Saharan | Chari-Nile | Easter Sudanic | Nubian | Nubian | |
| Nilotic | Luo, Dinka, Nuer; Teso, Masai, Turkana, Bari; Nandi, Suk | ||||
| Central Sudanic | Sara, Mangbetu, Lugbara, Madi | ||||
| Saharan | Kanuri, Teda | ||||
| Maban | Maba | ||||
| Koman | |||||
| Khoisan | Kwadi, Sandawe, Hatsa | ||||
| North | Eskimo-Aleut | Eskimo Yupik, Inuit, Aleut | |||
| America | Na-Dené | Athabaskan | Navaho, Apache | ||
| Tlingit | |||||
| Algonquian-Ritwan | Ojibwa (Chippewa), Cree, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Fox, Arapaho, Yurok | ||||
| Muskogean | Choctaw, Chikasaw, Creek, Seminole | ||||
| Siouan | Sioux (Dakota), Winnebago, Crow, Omaha, Osage | ||||
| Iroquoian | Cherokee, Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida | ||||
| Caddoan | Caddo, Pawnee, Wichita | ||||
| Hokan | Yuman | Yuma, Mohave | |||
| Pomoan | |||||
| Palaihnihan | |||||
| Shastan | |||||
| Yanan | |||||
| Salinan | |||||
| Chumashan | |||||
| Jicaque | |||||
| Subtiaba-Tlapanec | |||||
| Penutian | Yokuts | ||||
| Maiduan | |||||
| Wintuan | |||||
| Miwok | |||||
| Costanoan | |||||
| Sahaptian | |||||
| Coos | |||||
| Kalupuya | |||||
| Chinookan | |||||
| Zuni isolate | |||||
| Mayan | [see below under "Central America"] | ||||
| Uto-Aztecan | Papago, Pima, Hopi, Ute, Shoshone, Paiute, Comanche, Kiowa, Nahuatl, Tarahumara, Mayo | ||||
| Keresan | Keresan, Acoma, Cochiti | ||||
| Yukian | |||||
| Chimakuan | |||||
| Salish | |||||
| Wakashan | |||||
| Cental America (including | Mayan | Maya (Yucatan), Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Choic, Chontal, Huastec, Quiché, Mam, Cakchiquel, Kekchi | |||
| Mexico) | Oto-Manguean | Otomi, Mazahua, Mixtec, Zapotec (phonology: Mock, 1985), Mazatec, Chinantec | |||
| South America | Macro-Chibchan | Guayami, Cuna, Waica, Epera, Paez, Bribri | |||
| Ge-Pano-Carib | Carib, Ge, Panoan, Chiquito, Tacana | ||||
| Andean-Equatorial | Quechua, Aymara, Jivaro, Araucanian, Guarani, Tupi, Arawak |
Language
Isolates
| Region | Languages |
| Europe | Basque |
| Asia | Burushaski (Northern Kashmir) |
| Nahali (Madhya Pradesh, India) | |
| Gilyak (Sakhalin, Russia) | |
| Ainu (Hokkaido, Japan; Sakhalin & Kuril Islands, Russia) | |
| North America | Kutenai (British Columbia & Alberta, Canada) |
| Keres (New Mexico, USA) | |
| Tarasca (South-West-Central Mexico) |
Australian Aboriginal Languages
Source: R.M.W. Dixon (1980). The languages of Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
