Willem Adelaar is Professor of Amerindian languages and cultures at Leiden University. Pieter Muysken is Professor of Linguistics at Radboud University Nijmegen, after previously teaching at the universities of Amsterdam and Leiden. His specialism is language contact and he does research in the Andes, the Caribbean and the Netherlands.

'What a great book! It is comprehensive, erudite, highly detailed, and extremely invaluable. This is a truly excellent book … a monumental contribution to South American Linguistics, and it will stand as the substantial basic reference for years to come.' Anthropological Linguistics

• List of tables; List of maps; Preface; Orthographic conventions; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. The Chibcha sphere; 3. The Inca sphere; 4. The languages of the eastern slopes; 5. The Araucanian sphere; 6. The languages of Tierra del Fuego; 7. The Spanish presence; Appendix: inventory of languages and language families of the Andean region; References; Author index; Index of languages and ethnic groups; Subject index.

Willem Adelaar is Professor of Amerindian languages and cultures at Leiden University. Pieter Muysken is Professor of Linguistics at Radboud University Nijmegen, after previously teaching at the universities of Amsterdam and Leiden. His specialism is language contact and he does research in the Andes, the Caribbean and the Netherlands.

'What a great book! It is comprehensive, erudite, highly detailed, and extremely invaluable. This is a truly excellent book … a monumental contribution to South American Linguistics, and it will stand as the substantial basic reference for years to come.' Anthropological Linguistics

• List of tables; List of maps; Preface; Orthographic conventions; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. The Chibcha sphere; 3. The Inca sphere; 4. The languages of the eastern slopes; 5. The Araucanian sphere; 6. The languages of Tierra del Fuego; 7. The Spanish presence; Appendix: inventory of languages and language families of the Andean region; References; Author index; Index of languages and ethnic groups; Subject index.

Willem Adelaar is Professor of Amerindian languages and cultures at Leiden University. Pieter Muysken is Professor of Linguistics at Radboud University Nijmegen, after previously teaching at the universities of Amsterdam and Leiden. His specialism is language contact and he does research in the Andes, the Caribbean and the Netherlands.

'What a great book! It is comprehensive, erudite, highly detailed, and extremely invaluable. This is a truly excellent book … a monumental contribution to South American Linguistics, and it will stand as the substantial basic reference for years to come.' Anthropological Linguistics

• List of tables; List of maps; Preface; Orthographic conventions; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. The Chibcha sphere; 3. The Inca sphere; 4. The languages of the eastern slopes; 5. The Araucanian sphere; 6. The languages of Tierra del Fuego; 7. The Spanish presence; Appendix: inventory of languages and language families of the Andean region; References; Author index; Index of languages and ethnic groups; Subject index.