James Clackson is a recognised world authority on the Indo-European language family. His research has focused on tracking the history and relationships of the ancient languages of the Mediterranean basin and Europe, ranging from Armenian to Volscian. His previous books include The Linguistic Relationship between Armenian and Greek (1994), Indo-European Linguistics (2007), The Blackwell History of the Latin Language (with G. Horrocks, 2007) and The Blackwell Companion to the Latin Language (2011). He is also joint editor of the world's oldest journal in continuous publication devoted to languages and linguistics, The Transactions of the Philological Society.

'… this is a work with a clear aim and a lot of coherence; it will serve its purpose as an excellent introduction to a vast subject.' Staffan Wahlgren, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

• 1. The linguistic ecology of the Mediterranean; 2. States of languages / languages of states; 3. Language and identity; 4. Language variation; 5. Language, gender, sexuality; 6. The languages of Christianity; Conclusion: dead languages?; Bibliographic essay.

James Clackson is a recognised world authority on the Indo-European language family. His research has focused on tracking the history and relationships of the ancient languages of the Mediterranean basin and Europe, ranging from Armenian to Volscian. His previous books include The Linguistic Relationship between Armenian and Greek (1994), Indo-European Linguistics (2007), The Blackwell History of the Latin Language (with G. Horrocks, 2007) and The Blackwell Companion to the Latin Language (2011). He is also joint editor of the world's oldest journal in continuous publication devoted to languages and linguistics, The Transactions of the Philological Society.

'… this is a work with a clear aim and a lot of coherence; it will serve its purpose as an excellent introduction to a vast subject.' Staffan Wahlgren, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

• 1. The linguistic ecology of the Mediterranean; 2. States of languages / languages of states; 3. Language and identity; 4. Language variation; 5. Language, gender, sexuality; 6. The languages of Christianity; Conclusion: dead languages?; Bibliographic essay.

James Clackson is a recognised world authority on the Indo-European language family. His research has focused on tracking the history and relationships of the ancient languages of the Mediterranean basin and Europe, ranging from Armenian to Volscian. His previous books include The Linguistic Relationship between Armenian and Greek (1994), Indo-European Linguistics (2007), The Blackwell History of the Latin Language (with G. Horrocks, 2007) and The Blackwell Companion to the Latin Language (2011). He is also joint editor of the world's oldest journal in continuous publication devoted to languages and linguistics, The Transactions of the Philological Society.

'… this is a work with a clear aim and a lot of coherence; it will serve its purpose as an excellent introduction to a vast subject.' Staffan Wahlgren, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

• 1. The linguistic ecology of the Mediterranean; 2. States of languages / languages of states; 3. Language and identity; 4. Language variation; 5. Language, gender, sexuality; 6. The languages of Christianity; Conclusion: dead languages?; Bibliographic essay.