Mainland Southeast Asian Languages

This highly accessible introduction explores the core systems and subsystems of the languages of mainland Southeast Asia applying the main concepts of language typology phonology morphology syntax sociolinguistics language variation and language contact to this diverse language area. Written by a leading expert in the languages of this region N. J. Enfield draws upon nearly a thousand data examples from over a hundred languages from Cambodia China Laos Malaysia Myanmar Thailand and Vietnam to show the many ways in which these languages resemble each other and differ from each other in the context of what is known globally about the diversity of human language. The book highlights the diversity of the area''s languages with a special emphasis on the minority languages which outnumber the national languages by nearly a hundred to one. The result is a welcome corrective to widespread beliefs about the nature of a ''typical'' Southeast Asian language.