Research Guides: Linguistics Research Guide: Handbooks and Introductions

Handbooks and Other Background Sources

Oxford handbooks online. Linguistics. This link opens in a new window
Linguistics is one of the disciplines included in the Oxford handbooks online database of peer-reviewed articles published in individual Handbook chapters prior to their release in print, and online-only essays on emerging areas of research too new and too narrow to be included in a Handbook volume. Individual articles, whether they originally appeared in a Handbook or are published online, may be updated, and a full version history will be available so scholars can track those updates.

Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics
Overviews of subtopics in the field of linguistics.
Cambridge Elements (Language and Linguistics)
These Elements provide succinct introductions to key topics in these major areas of research. Includes multiple subseries in the field of language and linguistics.
Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics
Overviews of major sub-disciplines within language study and research. Grouped into broad thematic areas, the chapters in each volume encompass the most important issues and topics within each subject, offering a coherent picture of the latest theories and findings.
LINCOM handbooks in linguistics
Overviews of subtopics in the field of linguistics.
Routledge Handbooks in Linguistics
Overviews of a whole subject area or sub-discipline in linguistics, with surveys of the state of the discipline including emerging areas.

General Encyclopedias

Also see subject heading: Linguistics > Encyclopedias.

Ethnologue : languages of the world. This link opens in a new window
The most comprehensive available reference source of world languages. Languages are listed alphabetically by primary name under the country of the main population. Information includes alternate names, dialects, number of speakers, multilingualism, and other demographic and sociolinguistic information.An encyclopedic reference work cataloging all of the world's 6,909 known living languages.
International encyclopedia of linguistics / edited by William J. Frawley. This link opens in a new window
The Encyclopedia encompasses the full range of topics in linguistics, including such areas as historical, comparative, formal, mathematical, functional, philosophical, and sociolinguistics. Special attention is given to interrelations within these branches of the field and to relations of linguistics with other disciplines.

Selected Encyclopedias by Language

For other/additional language encyclopedias, search CLIO by subject using the name of the language (see Ethnologue for alternative names and spellings):

[Insert Language Name] Language > Encyclopedias.

For example, Malay language > Encyclopedias.

Encyclopedia of Arabic language and linguistics / managing editors online edition, Lutz Edzard, Rudolf de Jong. This link opens in a new window
"Online edition contains all content of the print edition and new content will be added on a regular basis as of 2010."
Encyclopedia of Hebrew language and linguistics / edited by Geoffrey Khan ; associate editors, Shmuel Bolozky, Steven Fassberg, Gary A. Rendsburg, Aaron D. Rubin, Ora R. Schwarzwald, Tamar Zewi. This link opens in a new window
"The Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics Online offers a systematic and comprehensive treatment of all aspects of the history and study of the Hebrew language from its earliest attested form to the present day."
Encyclopedia of Slavic languages and linguistics online This link opens in a new window
"The Encyclopedia of Slavic Languages and Linguistics offers the most comprehensive reference work on Slavic languages ever published, with some 400 articles. It provides authoritative treatment of all important aspects of the Slavic language family from its Indo-European origins to the present day, as well as consideration of the interaction of Slavic with other languages."