This five-volume work presents the collected papers of the twenty-first congress of the International Comparative Literature Association (ICLA), which took place at the University of Vienna (Austria) from July 21st to July 27th 2016 and was dedicated to the general topic "The Many Languages of Comparative Literature". The contributions gathered in these volumes explore many of the countless ways in which language shapes not only ?national? literatures and ?world literature?, but also the discipline of comparative literature itself. As a whole, these proceedings highlight the opportunities and the challenges associated with the multilingualism of both the discipline and the objects of its study. Yet they also go beyond reflections on the scholarly language of comparative literature in order to investigate how language functions within diverse literary texts and their contexts. Contributors to this compilation are concerned, amongst other aspects, with the way the language used by different social and ethnic groups feeds into literary texts; with the vocabulary of theoretical and cultural discourses such as gender studies and ecocriticism; and with language in a metaphorical sense, as referring to certain codes, forms, or styles. Moving between the discussion of literature itself and the observation of how literature is being discussed, this collection testifies to the polyglot, diverse, and ever-evolving state of the discipline.

In this book, the possible banes and benefits of globalization are illuminated from many different viewpoints by scholars based in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania.

"Take a tour of 21 of the world's most commonly spoken languages!"--Back cover.

The World's Major Languages features over 50 of the world's languages and language families. This revised edition includes updated bibliographies for each chapter and up-to-date census figures. The featured languages have been chosen based on the number of speakers, their role as official languages and their cultural and historical importance. Each language is looked at in depth, and the chapters provide information on both grammatical features and on salient features of the language's history and cultural role. The World’s Major Languages is an accessible and essential reference work for linguists.

Many languages, particularly those which have achieved literary status, have been studied in great detail, and specialized descriptions of these are plentiful. What has not been so readily available, however, is a general survey covering a wide spectrum of the world's languages on a comparative basis. It is this kind of comparative cross-section of languages, ranging from the familiar and well-documented to the relatively obscure, that the Compendium of the World's Languages presents.

Introduces readers to the rich diversity of human languages, familiarizing them with the variety of languages around the world.

The only textbook of its kind, An Introduction to the Languages of the World is designed to introduce beginning linguistics students, who now typically start their study with little background in languages, to the variety of the languages of the world.

This innovative introduction outlines the structure and distribution of the world’s languages, charting their evolution over the past 200,000 years. Balances linguistic analysis with socio-historical and political context, offering a cohesive picture of the relationship between language and society Provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the study of language by drawing not only on the diverse fields of linguistics (structural, linguist anthropology, historical, sociolinguistics), but also on history, biology, genetics, sociology, and more Includes nine detailed language profiles on Kurdish, Arabic, Tibetan, Hawaiian, Vietnamese, Tamil, !Xóõ (Taa), Mongolian, and Quiché A companion website offers a host of supplementary materials including, sound files, further exercises, and detailed introductory information for students new to linguistics

This book demonstrates the rich and varied ways in which heavy metal music draws on the ancient Greek and Roman world. Contributors examine bands from across the globe, including: Blind Guardian (Germany), Therion (Sweden), Celtic Frost, Eluveitie (Switzerland), Ex Deo (Canada/Italy), Heimdall, Stormlord, Ade (Italy), Kawir (Greece), Theatre of Tragedy (Norway), Iron Maiden, Bal-Sagoth (UK), and Nile (US). These and other bands are shown to draw inspiration from Classical literature and mythology such as the Homeric Hymns, Vergil's Aeneid, and Caesar's Gallic Wars, historical figures from Rome and ancient Egypt, and even pagan and occult aspects of antiquity. These bands' engagements with Classical antiquity also speak to contemporary issues of nationalism, identity, sexuality, gender, and globalization. The contributors show how the genre of heavy metal brings its own perspectives to Classical reception, and demonstrate that this music-often dismissed as lowbrow-engages in sophisticated dialogue with ancient texts, myths, and historical figures. The authors reveal aspects of Classics' continued appeal while also arguing that the engagement with myth and history is a defining characteristic of heavy metal music, especially in countries that were once part of the Roman Empire.