Languages, SUR-VIG
Language, a system of conventional spoken, manual, or written symbols by means of which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves. The functions of language include communication, the expression of identity, play, imaginative expression, and emotional release.
Languages Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Surmic languages
Surmic languages, group of languages that are spoken in southwestern Ethiopia and neighbouring zones of South Sudan......
Surname
Surname, name added to a âgiven nameâ (also called the "first name"). In many cases the surname is inherited and......
Svan language
Svan language, unwritten language spoken in the high valleys south of Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus. Svan and the......
Swahili language
Swahili language, Bantu language spoken either as a mother tongue or as a fluent second language on the east coast......
Swedish language
Swedish language, the official language of Sweden and, with Finnish, one of the two national languages of Finland.......
Swenson, May
May Swenson was an American poet whose work is noted for its engaging imagery, intricate wordplay, and eccentric......
Swiss German language
Swiss German language, collective name for the great variety of Alemannic (Upper German) dialects spoken in Switzerland......
syllabary
syllabary, a set of written symbols used to represent the syllables of the words of a language. Writing systems......
Syllable
Syllable, a segment of speech that consists of a vowel, with or without one or more accompanying consonant sounds......
Sylvester, Josuah
Josuah Sylvester was an English poet-translator, best known as the translator of a popular biblical epic, the Divine......
Symonds, John Addington
John Addington Symonds was an English essayist, poet, and biographer best known for his cultural history of the......
synonym
synonym, word or phrase that has the same meaning as another one. It is formed from the Greek words syn, meaning......
Syntax
Syntax, the arrangement of words in sentences, clauses, and phrases, and the study of the formation of sentences......
synthetic language
synthetic language, any language in which syntactic relations within sentences are expressed by inflection (the......
Syriac alphabet
Syriac alphabet, writing system used by the Syriac Christians from the 1st century ad until about the 14th century.......
Syriac language
Syriac language, Semitic language belonging to the Northern Central, or Northwestern, group that was an important......
Sze, Arthur
Arthur Sze is an American poet who was appointed U.S. poet laureate in 2025, making him the 25th person to hold......
Szentkuthy, Miklos
Miklos Szentkuthy was a Hungarian writer who wrote complex experimental fiction that explored the absurdity of......
SÄ«bawayh
SÄ«bawayh was a celebrated grammarian of the Arabic language. After studying in Basra, Iraq, with a prominent grammarian,......
table talk
table talk, informal conversation at or as if at a dining table; especially, the social talk of a celebrity recorded......
Tagalog language
Tagalog language, member of the Central Philippine branch of the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family......
Tagmemics
Tagmemics, a system of linguistic analysis developed by the American linguist Kenneth L. Pike in the 1950s and......
Tai languages
Tai languages, closely related family of languages, of which the Thai language of Thailand is the most important......
Taman languages
Taman languages, group of languages that form part of the Eastern Sudanic branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family.......
Tamil language
Tamil language, member of the Dravidian language family, spoken primarily in India. It is the official language......
Tanizaki JunâichirĆ
Tanizaki JunâichirĆ was a major modern Japanese novelist, whose writing is characterized by eroticism and ironic......
Tarascan language
Tarascan language, a language isolate, spoken by about 175,000 people in the Mexican state of MichoacĂĄn. It has......
Targum
Targum, (Aramaic: âTranslation,â or âInterpretationâ), any of several translations of the Hebrew Bible or portions......
Tasmanian languages
Tasmanian languages, extinct languages spoken before 1877 by the Tasmanian Aboriginal people (Palawa) of Tasmania.......
Tatar language
Tatar language, northwestern (Kipchak) language of the Turkic language family within the Altaic language group.......
Taylor, Bayard
Bayard Taylor was an American author known primarily for his lively travel narratives and for his translation of......
Teda language
Teda language, language spoken in Chad, Niger, and Libya. It is closely related to the Kanuri, Zaghawa, and Berti......
Telugu language
Telugu language, largest member of the Dravidian language family. Primarily spoken in southeastern India, it is......
Tense
Tense, in grammar, a verbal category relating the time of a narrated event to the time of the speech event. In......
Tequistlatecan languages
Tequistlatecan languages, a small family of three closely related languages spoken in Mexico. Huamelultec (also......
Thai language
Thai language, the standard spoken and literary language of Thailand, belonging to the Tai language family of Southeast......
The Worldâs 5 Most Commonly Used Writing Systems
Written language stands as one of humanityâs greatest achievements. Whereas speech is fleeting, written communication......
Theophylact of Ochrid
Theophylact of Ochrid was an Eastern Orthodox archbishop of Ochrid (modern Ohrid, North Macedonia), theologian......
Thorsteinsson, SteingrĂmur
SteingrĂmur Thorsteinsson was an Icelandic patriotic poet and lyricist, best remembered as a translator of many......
Thracian language
Thracian language, language spoken by the inhabitants of Thrace primarily in pre-Greek and early Greek times. Generally......
Thurneysen, Rudolf
Rudolf Thurneysen was a German linguist and Celtic scholar who was one of the first to use the principles of modern......
Tibetan language
Tibetan language, Tibetic (or Bodic) language belonging to the Tibeto-Burman group of the Sino-Tibetan language......
Tibeto-Burman languages
Tibeto-Burman languages, language group within the Sino-Tibetan family. In the early 21st century, Tibeto-Burman......
Tickell, Thomas
Thomas Tickell was an English verse writer and man of letters who is, however, best remembered for the quarrel......
Tieck, Ludwig
Ludwig Tieck was a versatile and prolific writer and critic of the early Romantic movement in Germany. He was a......
Tigrinya language
Tigrinya language, a Semitic language of the Tigray people of northern Ethiopia and southern Eritrea. Written records......
Tigré language
Tigré language, Semitic language of the Tigre people of northwestern Eritrea and smaller areas of neighbouring......
Tiller, Terence
Terence Tiller was an English playwright, translator, and poet whose best verse is noted for its highly wrought......
Tocharian languages
Tocharian languages, small group of extinct Indo-European languages that were spoken in the Tarim River Basin (in......
Today in HistoryâSeptember 27: The Rosetta Stone Is Decoded
In 1799 a Frenchman found a mysterious stone tablet near Rosetta, Egypt. On this day in 1822, the world learned......
Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin, pidgin spoken in Papua New Guinea, hence its identification in some earlier works as New Guinea Pidgin.......
Tomlinson, Charles
Charles Tomlinson was an English poet whose best work expresses his perceptions of the world with clarity and sensitivity.......
tone
tone, in linguistics, a variation in the pitch of the voice while speaking. The word tone is usually applied to......
tongue-tie
tongue-tie, congenital shortening of the flap of mucous membrane (frenum) beneath the tongue, a condition that......
Totonacan languages
Totonacan languages, a small language family of two branches, Totonac and Tepehua. The languages are spoken in......
Tozzer, Alfred M
Alfred M. Tozzer was a U.S. anthropologist and archaeologist who made substantial contributions to knowledge of......
Transformational grammar
Transformational grammar, a system of language analysis that recognizes the relationship among the various elements......
Trediakovsky, Vasily Kirillovich
Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky was a Russian literary theoretician and poet whose writings contributed to the......
trill
trill, in phonetics, a vibration or series of flaps (see flap) of the tongue, lips, or uvula against some other......
Trubetskoy, Nikolay Sergeyevich
Nikolay Sergeyevich Trubetskoy was a Slavic linguist at the centre of the Prague school of linguistics, noted as......
Tsegaye, Gabre-Medhin
Gabre-Medhin Tsegaye was an Ethiopian playwright and poet, who wrote in Amharic and English. Tsegaye earned a degree......
Tsubouchi ShĆyĆ
Tsubouchi ShĆyĆ was a playwright, novelist, critic, and translator who occupied a prominent position in Japanese......
Tulu language
Tulu language, member of the Dravidian language family, spoken in southern Karnataka state, India. Tulu has borrowed......
Tupian languages
Tupian languages, family of South American Indian languages with at least seven subgroups, spoken or formerly spoken......
TupĂ-GuaranĂ languages
TupĂ-GuaranĂ languages, one of the most widespread groups of South American Indian languages (after Arawakan).......
Turkic languages
Turkic languages, group of closely related languages that form a family within the Altaic language group. The Turkic......
Turkish language
Turkish language, a major member of the Turkic language family within the Altaic language group. Turkish is spoken......
Turkmen language
Turkmen language, member of the Turkic language family within the Altaic language group. Turkmen is spoken in Turkmenistan,......
Tyard, Pontus de
Pontus de Tyard was a Burgundian poet and member of the literary circle known as La Pléiade who was a forthright......
Udall, Nicholas
Nicholas Udall was an English playwright, translator, and schoolmaster who wrote the first known English comedy,......
Ugaritic alphabet
Ugaritic alphabet, cuneiform writing system used on the Syrian coast from the 15th to 13th century bc. It is believed......
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian language, East Slavic language spoken in Ukraine and in Ukrainian communities in Kazakhstan, Moldova,......
Ulfilas
Ulfilas was a Christian bishop and missionary who evangelized the Goths, reputedly created the Gothic alphabet,......
Umbrian language
Umbrian language, one of the ancient Italic languages closely related to Oscan and Volscian and more distantly......
Ungaretti, Giuseppe
Giuseppe Ungaretti was an Italian poet, founder of the Hermetic movement (see Hermeticism) that brought about a......
universal grammar
universal grammar, theory proposing that humans possess innate faculties related to the acquisition of language.......
Ural-Altaic languages
Ural-Altaic languages, hypothetical language grouping that includes all the languages of the Uralic and Altaic......
Uralic languages
Uralic languages, family of more than 20 related languages, all descended from a Proto-Uralic language that existed......
Urartian language
Urartian language, ancient language spoken in northeastern Anatolia and used as the official language of Urartu......
Urdu language
Urdu language, member of the Indo-Aryan group within the Indo-European family of languages. Urdu is spoken as a......
Urquhart, Sir Thomas
Sir Thomas Urquhart was a Scottish author best known for his translation of the works of François Rabelais, one......
Uto-Aztecan languages
Uto-Aztecan languages, family of American Indian languages, one of the oldest and largestâboth in terms of extent......
Utterance
Utterance, in the study of language, an instance or token of speech understood to encompass a limited sequence......
Uyghur language
Uyghur language, member of the Turkic language family within the Altaic language group, spoken by Uyghurs in the......
Uzbek language
Uzbek language, member of the Turkic language family within the Altaic language group, spoken in Uzbekistan, eastern......
Vajiravudh
Vajiravudh was the king of Siam from 1910 to 1925, noted for his progressive reforms and prolific writings. Vajiravudh......
Valencia, Guillermo
Guillermo Valencia was a Colombian poet and statesman, whose technical command of verse and skill at translation......
Valera y AlcalĂĄ Galiano, Juan
Juan Valera y AlcalĂĄ Galiano was an important Spanish 19th-century novelist and stylist, also a diplomat and politician.......
Valla, Lorenzo
Lorenzo Valla was an Italian humanist, philosopher, and literary critic who attacked medieval traditions and anticipated......
Vaugelas, Claude Favre, seigneur de, Baron De PĂ©rouges
Claude Favre, seigneur de Vaugelas was a French grammarian and an original member of the Académie Française who......
Vedel, Anders SĂžrensen
Anders SĂžrensen Vedel was a Danish historian and ballad collector who translated the Gesta Danorum of the medieval......
velarization
velarization, in phonetics, secondary articulation in the pronunciation of consonants, in which the tongue is drawn......
Venetan
Venetan, group of dialects of Italian spoken in northeastern Italy. It includes the dialects spoken in Venice (Venetian),......
Venetic language
Venetic language, a language spoken in northeastern Italy before the Christian era. Known to modern scholars from......
Ventris, Michael
Michael Ventris was an English architect and cryptographer who in 1952 deciphered the Minoan Linear B script and......
Verb
Verb, a word that conveys action, occurrence, or state of being. It is one of eight parts of speech in English......
Vernerâs law
Vernerâs law, linguistic explanation of the apparent exceptions to Grimmâs law (q.v.), which first demonstrated......
Viet-Muong languages
Viet-Muong languages, subbranch of the Vietic branch of the Mon-Khmer family of languages, itself a part of the......
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese language, official language of Vietnam, spoken in the early 21st century by more than 70 million people.......
VigfĂșsson, Gudbrandur
Gudbrandur VigfĂșsson was one of the 19th centuryâs foremost scholars of Old Norse, who completed the Richard Cleasby......