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Gesner, Konrad von

(Encyclopedia)Gesner, Konrad von kônˈrät fən gĕsˈnər [key], 1516–65, Swiss scientist and bibliographer. Gesner was noted for his scholarship and erudition in almost every field of knowledge. He lived in Z�...

ogham

(Encyclopedia)ogham, ogam, or ogum all: ŏgˈəm, ōˈəm [key], ancient Celtic alphabet of one of the Irish runic languages. It was used by the druids and abandoned after the first few centuries of the Christian ...

Malayan

(Encyclopedia)Malayan māˈlā [key], general term for one of a population of persons inhabiting SE Asia and the adjacent islands. The Malays vary greatly in physical appearance. The term Indonesian, used as an alt...

Pali

(Encyclopedia)Pali päˈlē [key], language belonging to the Indic group of the Indo-Iranian subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. Some scholars classify it as a Prakrit, or vernacular dialect of clas...

Nahuatl

(Encyclopedia)Nahuatl: see Nahuatlan; Native American languages. ...

Kechua

(Encyclopedia)Kechua: see Quechua; Native American languages. ...

universal language

(Encyclopedia)universal language, a language intended to further communication and goodwill among peoples speaking different languages without necessarily replacing their native tongues. See international language....

Fick, August

(Encyclopedia)Fick, August ouˈgo͝ost fĭk [key], 1833–1916, German philologist. Fick compiled the first comparative etymological dictionary of the Indo-European languages (1868). ...

Athapascan

(Encyclopedia)Athapascan or Athapaskan: see Athabascan; Native American languages. ...

Malayalam

(Encyclopedia)Malayalam mäˌləyäˈləm [key], Dravidian language of India. See Dravidian languages. ...