Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Monboddo, James Burnett, Lord

(Encyclopedia)Monboddo, James Burnett, Lord, 1714–99, English writer, b. Scotland. A pioneer in anthropology, he wrote Of the Origin and Progress of Language (6 vol., 1774–92), in which he anticipated Darwin an...

mikado

(Encyclopedia)mikado mĭkäˈdō [key], a former title of the emperor of Japan used chiefly in the English language. ...

Otomí

(Encyclopedia)Otomí ōtōmēˈ [key], a Macro-Otomanguean language spoken by Native Americans of W central Mexico. See Native American languages. ...

Zend

(Encyclopedia)Zend zĕnd [key], term formerly used for the language of the Avesta (see Zoroastrianism). ...

African languages

(Encyclopedia)African languages, geographic rather than linguistic classification of languages spoken on the African continent. Historically the term refers to the languages of sub-Saharan Africa, which do not belo...

United Arab Emirates

(Encyclopedia)CE5 United Arab Emirates, federation of sheikhdoms (2015 est. pop. 5,780,000), c.30,000 sq mi (77,700 sq km), SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The federation, commonly known as ...

Native American languages

(Encyclopedia)Native American languages, languages of the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere and their descendants. A number of the Native American languages that were spoken at the time of the European arriv...

Faliscan

(Encyclopedia)Faliscan fəlĭsˈkən [key], extinct language belonging to the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. See Italic languages. ...

Umbrian

(Encyclopedia)Umbrian ŭmˈbrēən [key], extinct language belonging to the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. See Italic languages. ...

Oscan

(Encyclopedia)Oscan ŏsˈkən [key], extinct language belonging to the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. See Italic languages. ...