In this ground-breaking book, Johanna Nichols proposes means of describing, comparing, and interpreting linguistic diversity, both genetic and structural, providing the foundations for a theory of diversity based upon population science. This book will interest linguists, archaeologists, and population specialists.
"An awe-inspiring book, unequalled in scope, originality, and the range of language data considered."-Anna Siewierska,
Linguistics "Fascinating. . . . A brilliant pioneering study."-
Journal of Indo-European Studies "A superbly reasoned book."-John A. C. Greppin,
Times Literary Supplement