Language; Family; Geography; Phonology; Nouns; Adjectives; Pronouns; Verbs; Adpositions; Word Order; Other

Abkhaz; Caucasian, Abkhaz-Adyge; Caucasus; ; human/non-human, erg case sys; ; ; [DO] + [IDO] + [Pre-verb] + Subject + Stem + Tense

Afrikaans; Indo-European, Germanic; South Africa; ; 2 num, no gend, no case; Adj + lig N; ; almost no V infl

Agul; Caucasus; Caucasus; ; 28 cases: 4 basic, 8x3 loc/dir grid; ; ; modest analytic V infl

Akan; Niger-Congo, Kwa; Ghana; tone; 2 num, no case; N Adj; ; subj, tense/mood; postp; SVO free

Albanian; Indo-European, Albanian; Albania; ; M/F, 2 num, 4 case, arts; ; ; 8 moods, 8 tenses: many inflected; ; SVO

Aleut; Aleut-Eskimo, Aleut; Alaska; ; 3 num, ~5 cases; ; ; class, mood, tense, pers, num, voice, version (affirm/neg); ; ; any stem as N or V

Altay; Altaic, Turkic; Russia; ; 2 num, 5 case; ; ; voice, mood, tense, num, pers; postp: primary or derived; SOV; taboo lexicon for hunters

Amharic; Afro-Asiatic, Semitic; Ethiopia; ; ; ; polite Pron for 2nd and 3rd; ; ; SOV; much as Arabic, affix types: pref, suff, infix and circumfix

Arabic; Afro-Asiatic, Semitic; North Africa and Middle East; ; M/F, 3 num (broken plural), 3 case, 2 determ; N Adj (agr); ; 2 voice, 3 asp, 4 mood, 3 temp, 3 pers, 3 num, M/F, neg /la/, /ma/; prep; VSO; patterns of inflection based on semantics

Arapaho; Algonquian, Plains Algonquian; U.S. Plains; ; anim/inanim, 2 num, poss pref oblig; ; ; subj, obj, 4 tense: pret, pres, fut, narr; ; SOV

Assamese; Indo-European, Indic; India; ; anim/inanim, 2 num, 7 case; Adjs act like Ns; ; voice, mood, pers, num, honor; postp; SOV

Avestan; Indo-European; India; ; 3 num, 8 case; ; ; 4 mood, ~3 tense, dir pre-verbs; prep and postp; free

Balinese; Austronesian, W. Malayo-Polynesian; Bali; ; no num; ; ; paradigm marked by pref; V paradigm determines word order; 3 sociolinguistic vocabularies

Basque; ?; Spain; 2 num, def art suff, 9 case: nom, erg, dat, gen-poss, gen-origin, comitative, inessive, aditive, ablative; N Adj (agr); Pron erg; very complex Vs, few infl, many aux: trans/intrans/dat, one suff binds (person/deixis, num, sub and objs, tense, mood), neg, fut; suff postp; free

Bengali; Indo-European, Indic; Bangladesh; anim/inanim, 2 num, 5 case; Adj N; Pron plur with N plur marker; pers, no num, tense; postp; SOV

Berber; Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic; North Africa; M/F, broken plur, gen part; ; ; 3 temp bases; prep; VSO

Bikol; Austronesian, W. Malayo-Polynesian; Phillipines; ; markers for: focus/gen/loc, 2 num; Adj N (agr); 4 Pron series by N marker; intrans pref, focus: subj/obj, 3 tense; prep; SVO, VSO; Spanish influence

Brahui; Dravidian, Northern Dravidian; Pakistan; 2 num, 11 case; Adj marked for def/indef; ; pos/neg forms, suffs for mood, tense, num, pers; prep and some postp; SOV

Burmese; Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burmese; Myanmar; ; no gend, count class, 2 num, case markers; ; Pron plur by N plur suff; markers for tense, mood, asp, passive default, deriv by compund and N + suff; ; SOV

Burushaski; ?; Pakistan; M/F/anim/inanim, 2 num, 2 case: nom/erg, indef marker; Adjs act as Ns; Pron 2 case, 3rd from Demon with class and distance; tense, subj; ; SOV

Cambodian; Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer; Cambodia; ; particles for N roles; N Adj; Pron oft. denote class; particles for asp/tense/modals, mood from context; prep; SVO

Cham; Austronesian, W. Malayo-Polynesian; Cambodia; ; particles for gender, count class; N Adj; ; particles for tense; ; SVO

Chamorro; Austronesian, W. Malayo-Polynesian; Guam; ; arts: proper/common, plur pref; art [plur] + Adj + lig N; 2 series: det obj, intrans/stative/indef-obj; V affix to set topic, asp: perf(default)/imperf(redup), tense, neg /ti/; ; VSO, SVO, OSV

Cherokee; Iroquois, Southern Iroquois; Eastern U.S.; ; anim/inanim, 2 num, alien/inalien poss; ; rarely independent, 3 pers, 4 num (sing/dual/plur/collective); classifier based on DO properties, neg + dir + DO + subj + subj/DO Pron + DO class + stem + temp + voc/IDO + modality, neg /tla/; ; SOV, SVO

Chibcha; Chibchan; Columbia; ; no num, 8 case; attr agr, indep invar; 3 pers, 2 num, indep/bound series, 5 case; agglut; postp; SVO

Chinese, Archaic; Sino-Tibetan, Sinitic; China; ; ; ; 3 tense markers; ; ; pure isolating

Chinese, Classical; Sino-Tibetan, Sinitic; China; ; ; ; ; ; ; no inflection, content words very free for part of speech, very different from Modern Chinese

Chinese; Sino-Tibetan, Sinitic; China; tone; no infl, count class; Adj N (invar); 3 pers, 2 num, no case; no infl, asp particles; prep and postp; SVO

Chipewyan; Na-Dene, Athabaskan; W. Canada; tone; simple or marked for poss; ; 4 pers (1, 2, 3, minor 3rd, indef), 2 num; [N-subj] + (sometimes bound: asp + subj) + obj + voice/class + stem

Choctaw; Muskogean; SE U.S.; nasal for emph; 2 art: define/distinguish, no num; N Adj + [plur]; 2 num, 3rd from Demon; infl for: subj pers, obj pers, tense, infix for: mood, asp, V shorter than in many N. Am. languages; prep

Chukchi; Paleo-Siberian; NE Siberia; ; no gend, erg case system, declinations for anim/inanim; stative V; 9 case; agglutinative, asp, voice, mood, tense, pers, num, pref for detransifying V; ; SOV, SVO

Comanche; Uto-Aztecan, Numic; TX and OK; ; 3 num, 3 case, topic suffix, N: stem + num + case + [topic], some collective plur by redup, various deriv affixes; Adj N (agr); 3 pers: 1st excl/incl, 3 num, 3 case; erg: intrans Vs infl for subj num and trans Vs infl for obj V, V complex: DO/IDO/indef-subj + Adv + incorporated-N + instrument + stem + "accomplished"-asp + secondary-V-stem + benefactive + directional + pre-final-asp + final-asp + num-agr + subordinates + narrative-beginning + topic-contrast, prefinal asp describes property of onset of action and final asp describes end of action, neg /ke/; postp, may suff to Prons; SOV

Coptic; Afro-Asiatic, Egyptian; Egypt; ; M/F, art binds def/indef, 2 num, poss; stative V or N-N relation; 3 pers, 2 num, Pron may be suff to N or V; no voice, many tense; prep prefixed; SVO

Cree; Algonquian, Central Algonquian; Canada; ; anim/inanim, 4 pers, 2 num, poss and loc markers; few Adjs used in compunds, usu. stative Vs; ; trans/intrans, gend, pers, indep/conjunct (main/dependent clause), tense, neg /mola/; prep +loc, some postp; SVO, often just v

Crow; Siouan, Missouri; MT; tone; stem as N accepts pers of possessor, spatial, nominalizer; ; ; stem as V accepts pers of agent/patient/recipient, tense, modality

Dakota; Siouan, Dakotan; N. Plains, U.S.; ; marker binds 2 num and anim/inanim, def art; N Adj (3 num); 3 pers, 2 num, 3 case; specific prefixes for common instruments, 3 pers, 2 num plus incl-dual form, 2 tense, neg /sni/; postp; SOV

Dinka; Nilo-Saharan, Chari-Nile; Sudan and Ethiopia; tone; no gend, def art, rare plur, case by particle; N Adj; Pron 3 pers, full/abbrev/poss, 2 num; 3 tenses; ; SOV, SVO

Efik; Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo; SE Nigeria; vowel harmony, tone; no N class or infl; Adj N (rare plur); 3 pers, 2 num, 2 series focus/V-prefix; pers, asp, tense; prep; SVO, o + marker + sv

English; Indo-European, Germanic; widespread; ; no gend, 2 num, gen case suff, 2 arts: def/indef; Adj N (invar); 3 pers, 2 num, 3 case; 2 infl tense, 3rd sing pres marked, aux for tense/asp/modal; prep; SVO

Etruscan; ?; Italy; F gend for proper N, 2 num, 4 case: nom&indef-acc/def-acc/gen/loc; few Adj known; full Pron grid not known; pers, num, perf/imperf/opt

Farsi; Indo-European, Iranian; Iran; ; no gend, no art, 3 num: collective (unmarked)/ specific (by suff)/ broken plur (by suff), acc and gen by suff; N+/e/ Adj, same as N-N poss; 2 series: indep/enclitic (on V or as poss), almost no case; 2 tense stems, asp and pers by affix; prep, many use /-e/; SOV

Fijian; Austronesian, E. Malayo-Polynesian; Fiji; 4 N class: neut/edible/potable/body-part, 2 num, art bind def/indef and proper/common; N Adj; 4 num: sing/dual/trial/plur, 3 demons by dist from pers; tens, trans/intrans, neg /sega/; ; VSO, SVO

Finnish; Uralic, Fennic; Finland; vowel harmony; no art, no gend, 2 num, 15 case; Adj N (agree); 3 pers, 2 num, 11 case; voice, mood, tense, neg agrees with subj; prep and postp; SVO free

Fulani; Niger-Congo, Atlantic; W. Africa; ; human/non-human, 2 num; attr by stative V; 3 pers 2 num, 2 case, incl/excl; 3 voice, tense, few common deriv suff; prep; SVO

Georgian; Caucasian, Kartvelian; Georgia; ; no gend, indef art, 2 num, 8 case erg; Adj N (invar); 3 pers, 2 num, 4 case, 3 demons by dist from pers; several conjug paradigms: active/intrans/denominative/dative, screeves: temp and mood, version (purpose), pre-verbs for aspect and direction, neg /ar/; postp; free

German; Indo-European, Germanic; Central Europe; ; M/F/N, 2 num, 4 case usu. marked only in art or Adj, 2 arts: def/indef; Adj N (agr); 3 pers, 2 num, 4 case; V tense/mood stems but aux more common; prep; SVO, s aux o v, dependent clause: SOV

Greek, Ancient; Indo-European, Hellenic; Greece; ; 3 gend, 3 num, 4 case, art; Adj N (agr); ; 3 voice, 4 mood, 7 tense, redup perf asp; few prep; SVO free

Greek, Modern; Indo-European, Hellenic; Greece; ; 3 gend, 3 num, 3 case, art: def/indef; Adj N (agr); ; 2 voice, sevreal tense/modality on perf/imperf base; prep; SVO, ov

Guarani; Andean-Equatorian; Paraguay; ; no gend, 2 num, no art, obj marker, N stems can take tense; N Adj; 3 pers, 1st incl/excl, 2 num, 4 case; 2 paradigms: active/stative, pers, num, tense; ; SVO, VOS, Pron-V order determined by pers

Gujarati; Indo-European, Indic; India; ; M/F/N, 2 num, 6 case, no art; some Adj agr; 3 pers, 2 num, 5 case; 5 mood, 5 tense, one marker binds: pers, num, neg/pos; postp; SOV

Haida; ?; British Columbia and Alaska; tone; N classes usu by shape, class marker in V may replace subj N, poss suff; ; 3 pers, 2 num, 2 case; polysynthetic V complex, inst or agent, subj-intrans or obj-trans, stem often lexically and suppletively indicates N num, contingent modalities, temp, dir, etc.; ; v-final

Haitian Creole; Indo-E / W. African; Haiti; tone; indef art, plur bound in def art, French modifiers often petrified in N; N Adj emph over Adj N, emph also by redup or tone; ; V invar, aux for tense and asp and modality; prep; SVO

Hausa; Afro-Asiatic, Chadic; W. Africa; tone; 2 gend, 2 num, Ns may be linked into a N construct; Adj N, Adjs from N class; Pron bind 3 pers, 2 num, 3 case, 6 V aspects; only V inflection binds: trans/intrans, caus, modality; prep, SVO

Hawaiian; Austronesian, E. Malayo-Polynesian; Hawaii; 13 phonemes; 2 num, 13 case by markers: nom/ obj/ voc/ agentive/ comitative-instr/ poss/ benefactive or agentive-focus/ benefactive or locative or causative/ simulative/ locative-1/ locative-2/ allative/ ablative, alien/inalien poss; Adjs from N class; 3 pers, 1st incl/excl, 3 num; 2 mood, 2 voice, 2 tense, 3 asp, neg /'a'ole/; prep; VSO; rich deriv

Hebrew, Classical; Afro-Asiatic, Semitic; Middle East; ; M/F, 3 num, def art, acc particle; N Adj (agr); 2 series: indep/suff, 3 pers, 2nd and 3rd M/F, 2 num; 2 asp and several forms by affix, 3 num, 3 pers, M/F; preps, bound and free; VSO

Hebrew, Modern; Afro-Asiatic, Semitic; Middle East; ; M/F, 3 num, def art, acc particle; N Adj (agr); 3 series: sub/obj/suff, 3 pers, 2nd and 3rd M/F, 2 num; 3 tense, 3 num, 3 pers, M/F; preps, bound and free; VSO

Hindi; Indo-European, Indic; India; ; M/F, 2 num, 2 case, no art; Adj N, usu invar; 3 pers, 2 num, 2 case; 3 mood, subj agr, temp by aux; postp; SOV

Hittite; Indo-European, Indic; India; ; 2 gend, 2 num, 7 case; Adjs infl like Ns; 3 pers, 2 num, ~5 case; 2 voice, 2 mood, 2 tense, one marker binds: pers, num; postp; SOV; oldest Indo-European language from 2000 BC

Hopi; Uto-Aztecan, Hopi; AZ; ; no Ns for items of short duration or temporally cyclical existence, 3 N classes: anim/inanim/vegetative; 4 num for anim and inanim (sing/dual/paucal/plural), 2 num for vegetative, 2 case, 2 state: absolute/construct; Adjs for global qualities, but never for shape or configuration; 3 pers, 2 num, prefix series plus nominal series: ~15 case: 3 basic plus ~12 loc/dir; 5 voices: eventive (shape and figure)/ essive (concrete plus prolongation)/ cessative (termination)/ extended-dynamic (switches background from neutral to dyamic and causative)/ possesive (has an object), asp: simplex (point event or durative depending upon semantics of stem)/ inceptive/ segmentive (convert point event into cyclical)/ aspects may be componded, modes: comcomitance/ sequential/ agency/ transrelative (for subject-switching); ; SOV

Hungarian; Uralic, Ugric; Hungary; vowel harmony; no gend, 2 num, 16 case, def art; Adj N (invar), all Adjs can be Ns; no voice, 3 mood, suff binds tense (past/pres) and pers-num and definiteness/non-definiteness of object, deriv prefs: sep/insep, neg /nem/; postp, redup with demons, take Pron suffs; SOV

Hurrian; ?; Anatolia; no gen, 2 num, ~9 case in erg sys, def art; ; erg cases sys; 11 strictly-ordered slots: base + asp + intrans + asp?+ plur + trans/intrans + neg + unreal-conditional + mood + subj-pers + subj-num; ; ; close to Urartian

Igbo; Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo; S. Nigeria; 3 tones, can mark interr or neg; no N infl; few Adj, usu deriv from other parts of speech; 2 series: sep/insep, 3 pers plus impersonal, 2 num; V not infl; prep (one or two); perf asp: SVO + marker, imperf asp: SVO or VSO + marker

Ilokano; Austronesian, W. Malayo-Polynesian; Phillipines; ; 2 num; Adj + lig + N; 4 Pron series: determined by V class; 7 V classes: agent-focus/ agent-focus/ target-focus/ target-focus/ instument-focus/ beneficiary-focus/ ability-to-perform-action, progressive asp by redup, some past markers

Indonesian; Austronesian, W. Malayo-Polynesian; Indonesia; ; optional redup plur, case by preps or word order, 3 count classifiers: human/animal/thing; N Adj; pers, num, polite; no V infl, 3 temp markers, deriv prefs, neg /tidak/; prep; SVO

Irish; Indo-European, Celtic; Ireland; ; M/F, 2 num, 4 case, def art; N Adj (agree); 3 pers, 2 num, 3 case; several tense/asp infl; prep, some affix with Pron; VSO

Irish, Old; Indo-European, Celtic; Ireland; ; 3 gend, trace of dual, 4 case, def art; N Adj (agree); several tense/asp infl; prep; VSO

Itelmen; Paleo-Siberian; Kamchatka; human/non-human, 2 num, 8 case; ; erg case system; markers for tense, asp, neg; no adpositions expect Russian loans; SVO, SOV

Japanese, Classical; ?; Japan; ; no N infl, count class, particles for case; no Adjs; Pron rare, V and context usually imply person and politeness; 6 asp/modal V bases: predicative/ attributive/ conjunctive-suspended (used in serial constructions)/ imperfective (used for all negatives)/ perfective/ imperative, about 30 particles for tense, voice, honor, etc.

Japanese; ?; Japan; ; no N infl, count class, particles for case; Adj N, rare loan Adjs; Pron rare, context or names or titles common; 6 V bases: neg or caus/ pres-polite or past-polite or desiderative/ infinitive or citation/ conditional/ imperative/ prospective or hortative, honorific prefs, deriv infixes, gerund as in Turkic langs; postp; SOV

Javanese; Austronesian, W. Malayo-Polynesian; Java; ; collective plural by redup; N Adj (invar); indep and poss suffs, 3 pers, 2 num; no V infl, tense/asp by Advs, deriv prefs; prep; _s_v_, depends upon voice; 2 parallel dialects by familiarity, Old Javanese structurally similar and SVO/VSO

Kabard-Cherkes; Caucasian, Abkhaz-Adyge; Caucasus; ; 3 case: nom, erg, instr; ; ; rich V infl; postp can be inflected; SOV

Karelian; Uralic, Fennic; Karelia; ; 2 num, 13 case; Adj N (agr); ; 4 mood, 4 tense; prep and postp; SVO free

Karen; Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burmese; Burma and Thailand; ; little N infl; ; ; little V infl; prep; SVO

Ket; Paleo-Siberian; Siberia; m/f/n, 2 num, 7 case; Adj N, pred Adj agr in pers and in 3rd gend; 2 num, 5 case; V root can be integral with deixis pref or split with deixis infix/pref, infl for pers of subj and obj, num of subj, V exponent determines which is subj, markers for tense and mood and modality, neg /buhn/; prep; SOV or OSV; possible links to Sino-Tibetan and Na-Dene (based on lexical similarities including numerals)

Khanty; Uralic, Ugric; Siberia; ; 3 num, 2 case; Adj invar; Pron infl as N; 2 mood: indic/imp, 2 tense: pres-past/fut, infixes for: inchoative and semelfactive and reiterative, infl for definite/indefinite obj; postp; SOV

Korean; ?; Korea; ; 2 num by suff, 7 case by suff or particle; Adj N, Adjs by V participle; Prons an innovation, respect-graded; stem + respect + tense/mood/asp + indic/interr, no pers or numb, various preceding neg particles and suffs, modal suffs, rel clause by participle; postp; SOV

!Kung; Khoisan; Kalahari; record high number of consonants: ~50 ingressive (click) and ~50 non-ingressive; no case, no num, N class; Adj+lig+N, rel clause by V+lig+N; N class exhibited in 3rd Pron; no V infl besides N class concord; postp; SVO; lexicon has detailed taxonomy of habitat

Kwakiutl; Wakashan; British Columbia; ; stem-affix grammar may not allow for anything distinct as a N; ; very complex Pron sys, 3 pers, visible/invisible, distance from any of the 3 pers, case suffs, plur by redup or infl, suffed to V complex, pers of subj and obj bound in one marker; hundreds of semantic properties not grammaticalized in most languages, present/absent, indoors/outdoors, surprise/expected; ; ; stem-affix grammar more so than N-V

Lao; Tai-Kadai, Tai; Laos; mainly monosyllables; no N infl, N count class; N Adj; pers, num, status, 2 case; no V infl, particles for tense and asp, neg /boo/; rich set of preps; SVO

Latin; Indo-European, Italic; Mediterranean; ; M/F/N, 2 num, 6 case; Adj agree, position unimportant; 3 pers, 2 num, 5 case (no vocative); num and pers agree, 2 voice: act/pass, 3 mood: indic/ subj/ imp, 3 tense/asp: past/ pres/ fut/ perf, rich set of non-finite forms: infinitives and participles have voice and tense; prep; SOV free

Latvian; Indo-European, Baltic; Latvia; tone; M/F, 2 num, 5 case: (dat for poss / gen + neg for absence); Adj N (agr); ; 3 voice: act/pass/refl, 5 mood: indic/ imp/ cond/ debitive means "required to"/ relative means "supposed to", 3 infl tense + compounds, perf asp by pref, neg /ne/; prep; SVO

Lithuanian; Indo-European, Baltic; Lithuania; stress/tone used in infl; gend, 2 num, 6 case; Adj N (agr); 3 num; 2 voice, 4 mood, ~11 tense , perf asp by pref, neg /ne/; prep; SVO

Lappish; Uralic, Fennic; Lapland; ; 2 num, 8 case; ; 3 num, 8 case; 2 voice, 4 mood, 4 tense; 1 or 2 prep, many postp; SVO

Lusatian; Indo-European, Slavic; Germany; 3 num, 3 gen, 7 case; Adj N (agr); ; num, pers. sometimes gend, voice, mood, tense, asp (perf deriv from imperf), neg /nje/, prep, take 5 different cases; SVO free

Maasai; Nilo-Saharan, Chari-Nile; Kenya and Tanzania; tone; M/F, 2 num; 2 voice, 3 tense, V agrees subj and obj, pres neg /mi-/, past neg /eitu-/; prep; VSO

Macedonian; Indo-European, Slavic; Yugoslavia; ; M/N/F, 2 num, only remnants of case sys, def art suff; Adj N (agr); 3 case; 4 tense plus compounds fut and perf, participle has voice; prep, takes nom case

Malagasy; Austronesian, W. Malayo-Polynesian; Madagascar; ; no N infl, def art; Adj N or N Adj; 3 pers, 2 num, 3 forms; distinct set of pers prefs for each conjugation: tense/ asp/ transitivity; prep; VOS; N and V roots largely interchangeable, lots of compounding

Malayam; Dravidian, Southern Dravidian; India; ; M/F/N, 2 num, 7 case; few Adj; V little infl, no subj agr, many aux; postp; SOV

Mam; Mayan; Guatemala; ; no num, case by preps, indef marker, poss by circumfix; Adj can act as N; no free Prons, 2 affix Pron series: trans/intrans V; V classifier with misc info on subj, subj num and pers, patient, asp, dir, several negs, passive by Pron set; prep, deriv from Ns; VSO, OVS, SVO

Maori; Austronesian, E. Malayo-Polynesian; New Zealand; ; 5 case, arts: def/indef/proper; ; 3 num, 1st incl/excl, Demon deixis indicates distance from 1st and 2nd pers; about 11 V markers for asp/ tense/ mode/ mood/ voice; ; VSO; best conceived of as bases plus particles

Mapudungu; ?; Chile; ; one marker binds plur and gend (anim/inanim), case by particles; Adj N (num agr or invar); 3 num; V suffs for agr with subj and DO and IDO with 3 pers and 3 num, voice, mood, tense, deriv + root + IDO + DO + subj, different neg suffs depending upon mood, V easily derived from other parts of speech, V roots iften imply info usu found in Adv in other languages; prep, but often implied in root; SOV, OVS, SVO

Mayan; Mayan; Yucatan; ; no gend, plur suff, case by prep; Adj N; 3 Pron series in erg case sys: indep obj and in V as subj / indep subj / after preps; two paradigms for making stem of root: one for action or state / for pres progr, V infl tense, subj, obj; prep; VOS

Miskito; Misumalpan; Nicaragua; ; no gend, plur suff, arts: def/indef; N Adj ars infix; SOV

Mixtec; Otomanguean; Nicaragua; tone; 5 N class: M/F/N/anim/sacred, no num, alien/inalien poss; N Adj Demon; 3 pers, formal/familiar, 3rd has gend and distance; asp, subj gend and num; prep, deriv from Ns; VSO

Mundari; Austro-Asiatic, Munda; India; ; anim 3 num, inanim no num, no arts, case by postp; Adj N; 1 Pron series indep or affix; root + voice + mood + tense + [obj] + [imperf-asp] + copu voc by suff; oft N + Adj, oft stative V; 3 pers, 2 num, 4 series: indep/ nom/ V-subj/ V-obj; asp by suff, pers and num by pref, mood and tense by differ + repetitive/ iterative + subj-plur + DO + deictic-subj + Adv/ transitional/ semelfactive + imperfective/ usitative/ perfective/ progressive/ optative + subj-pers + classifier (trans/intrans/passive) + stem, stem often implies ob3 num, fully declined; 4 mood, 3 tense, pers, passive voice and 4 asp for non-finite forms, neg particle inflected; postp; SOV

Nivkh; Paleo-Siberian; SE Siberia; ; 2 num (plur by sufuffs; Adj+/u/ N, Adj can act as N or V; 3 pers, 2 num; asp, tense, N agr, neg /m-/; postp as suffs, dir/loc/emph/manner; SOV; aux clauses of time/place act as N

Oromo; Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic; Ethiopia; tone; M/F, num, case; N Adj (agr); ; pers, num in 2rd and 3rd, gend in 3rd, voice, tense, neg /hin/;nusual for family: no tone; no N infl; N Adj; 3 pers, 3 num; V stem invar, tense suffs, neg /ka-/; prep; SVO

Phoenician; Afro-Asiatic, Semitic; Mediterranean; ; M/F, 3 num, 3 case (later lost), 2 construct: absolute/poss; ; Pron grid complete in sing and partial in plur; asp by pref or suff orphemes for consonants

Quechua; Andean-Equatorial; Peru; ; no gend, 2 num: plur suff, no def art, topic suff, ~8 case; Adj N, invar; Pron takes N case suffs; 3 pers, 2 num, incl/excl, ~ 4 tense, no irregulars, neg circumfix /manam ... chu/; postp as well as case; SVO, SOV

Quiche; Mayan; Yucatan; ; 2 num, case by prep or marked in V; N Adj, some redup plur, base-20 numerals; 3 pers, 2 num, 2 series: subj/poss; all V infl pref, pers, mood, tense, V deriv common: causative/ intensive/ composite ("come and sit"); prep

Rapanui; Austronesian, E. Malayo-Polynesian; Easter Island; ; def art, case by prep; N Adj; 3 num; tense, asp, mood, affix by pref and circumfix

Romany; Indo/F, anim/inanim, 2 num, 6 case for anim: 5 plus oblique; Adj N, agr via 2 case; 3 pers, 2 num, 6 case; pers, num, tense, no asp; prep, used instead of case for inanim; SVO

Russian; Indo-European, Slavic; Russia; ; M/F/N, 2 num, 6 case, no arts; Adj N (agr); 3 pers, 2 num, 6 case; 2 mood, 2 asp, 2 tense (past/pres in imperf and past/fut in perf), for motion Vs in imperf: determinate/ indeterminate mode; prep; SVO free

Samoa Adj (agr); 3 pers, incl/excl, 3 num, 2 case; Vs: transitive/stative/adjectival, plur by redup, tense/asp by particle, neg /le/; prep; VSO; deriv by compound and affix

Sanskrit; Indo-European, Indic; India; n set of gen and num pref markers, num also by suff redundantly, poss pref by pers and num and class; usu N + Adj; V versions:m/gen/dat/comitative/abl/allative/loc; ; 3 pers, sing/plur, poss suff form; 2 tense, 2 asp (perf null and imperf suff), V: mood + spat/dir/IDO + subj/obj + root + subj/obj, one voice: obj in nom and V agr agent; pos use class concord; N Adj (agr); class marker except human class: 3 pers, oblig in V, emph series, poss series; V: obj + subj + tense + stem, other mar/passive, 2 mood: indic/imp, 2 simple tense, passive, compound tense by aux, neg /inte/; prep, can end clause as in English; SVO, with Adv: VSO, V in second position as in German

Tagalog; Austronesian, W. Malayo-Polynesian; Phillipines; ; no gend, one marker binds: proper/common and subj/gen/indirect/passive and sing/plur; Adj + lig N, N + lig Ad be altered by derivation for any of: subj/gen-inst/IDO; V root may redup for plur, 5 aspect: neutral/perfect/imperfect/intentional-future, 4 focus: agent/patient/loc-dir/inst-beneficeg, every V in sentence but main V in gerundial; postp used with V as well as N stems; SOV; deriv with affix (including ablaut) or compounds

Thai; Tai-Kadai, Tai; Thailand; 5 tone; N-heavy lexicterminative; N Adj (invar); 3 pers, 2 num, 2 honor; 2 V paradigms: active (subj in inst) / perception-movement (subj in nom), 4 stem infl (3 tense and imperative), postfixed aux for neg (/ma/ or /mi/) or tenof as stem-affix grammar but little N-V overlap in stem lexicon

Tocharian; Indo-European, Tocharian; Xinjiang; ; 3 gend, 4 num: sing/body-part-dd for determinacy and ahaving obj in V without subj, neg /'ikai/; prep; VSO, VOS; most V stems can be N stems

Tupi; Andean-Equatorial; Brazil; ; human/non-human class prefs, rare redup plur, suffs: "former"/"future"; N Adj (invar); Pron series as V prefs: subj/obj/subj-of-pred-V; if a V has nofree

Vietnamese; Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer; Vietnam; 6 tones; no N infl, N count class, markers for plur, poss, focus; N Adj, Adjs are stative Vs; only a few common forms with many titles and family relations, plur marker distinct from the N plur marker; no V infl, particles for temp, co-verbs, neg /khong/; prep; SVO, OSV; heavy areal influence from Chinese

Yakut; Altaic, Turkic; Siberia; ; 7 case (no gen); atypical for Turkic: Adj can take N infl; ; many tenses even in imperative, additional time Advs; postp; SOV

Yiddish; German and Hebrew; Jewish communities; ; ; ; ; ; word order differs from German in a couple of ways, German (subj aux IDO temp DO pred) / Yiddish (subj aux IDO temp pred DO), German (art intense-Adv Adj N) / Yiddish (intense-Adv art Adj N)

Yoruba; Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo; W. Africa; tone, no N infl, no N class; Adjs from Vs by redup, also phonasthetic redup Adjs, numerals base on shell-counting: oft base minus offset; 3 pers, 2 num, 4 series: subj/ neg-subj/ obj/ emph-subj; no N-V agr, fut tense by pref, perf asp by pref, imperf asp by pref, perf and imperf together for pluperfect, directional co-verbs; prep; SVO

Yukagir; Uralic?; Siberia; ; 2 num, 7 case, focus suff for N or V; Adjs by stative Vs or N plus suff, 2 numeral series: pred/attr; ; 5 mood, 3 tense (past by null), 2 voice: act/pass, neg /el-/; postp; SOV

Zapotec; Otomanguean; Mexico; tone; no gend, no num, indef art, def suff for N of prior reference, poss: alien/inalien, body part terms always marked for poss; N Adj (invar); 2 Pron series: indep/bound, 3 pers, 2 num, 3rd marked for: respect/ familiar/ anim/ inanim; V complex: tense/asp (4) + [dir] + stem + pers-num, 2 mood: indic/imp; prep; VSO, relative clause by reverse order

Zuni; ?; NM; tone; suffix binds def/indef and sing/plur, N compounding; ; 3 num, 3 case, 2 pers plus partial 3rd; V complex: subj-num + stem (includes past/pres) + mood/tense/asp + modal/spatial, neg /-na'ma/

Abkhaz-Adyge languages; Caucasus; ; human/nonhuman, split ergatives used for DO and IDO

Altaic family: includes Turkic/ Mongolian/ Tungusic, possible relation to Japanese/ Korean/ Uralic/ Dravidian; Asia; phonology linked to Uralic and Dravidian; no gend, no arts, 5 to 12 cases; Adj N, N never plur when numeral indicates plur; same Pron prefs for poss and V, 1st has incl/excl; agglutinative by suffs, no V "to have", relative clauses by participles; postp; ; little lexical commonality, Supposed Korean-Tungusic split: 3500 BC

Australian languages: Pama-Nyungan except non-Pama-Nyungan in NW; Australia; ; 3 num, many non-Pama-Nyungan have N class for V and Adj concord, some including Dyirbal have genderlike class, 5 to 8 cases; N Adj (agr), no numerals over 3 before Western contact; 3 or more num including trial or paucal, pers, kinship, case; V roots always inflected, few conjugations, typical V complex: stem + deriv/modal + tense/mood/asp, neg by particle

Bantu languages, Niger-Congo; Africa; many have tone; about 20 N class; very few Adjs; ; disyllable V roots with pref and infix and suff infl, suff deriv, neg can involve tone; ; ; proto-Bantu originated in W. Africa, very stable typology across the family

Caucasian languages, areal group includes members of many genetic families including Indo-European and Turkic; Caucasus; many consonants

Dagestanian languages; Caucasus; ; most have 4 N class for V agree: M/F/alive/things, as many as 40 cases: mostly locatives arranged in series (contact/ contiguity/ vertical position/ etc)

Dardic languages, Indo-European; South Asia; ; gend, num, case: postp fossilized as endings, some have ergativity, some have just two cases; Adjs, base-20 numerals; 2 pers plus demons; some infl Vs and others analytic; postp and prep; SOV

Dravidian family; South Asia; ; gend: human-rational/other, 2 case; ; ; ; ; ; proto-Dravidian placed in Northern India 4000 BC

Indo-European family; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Kentum (Celtic/ Italic/ Germanic/ Hellenic/ Anatolian) and Satem (Baltic/ Slavic/ Armenian/ Albanian/ Indic/ Iranian) plus Tocharian

Naga languages, Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burmese; India and Burma; ; M/F, 2 num plus trace dual, some case by postfixed particle; N Adj (agr case); ; V suffs for tense/asp/modal/etc, V infl by infix in some; postp; SOV

Nakh languages: Chechen/ Ingush/ Bats; Caucasus; ; N class for V and Adj concord but unmarked in N, up to 22 cases (in Bats), erg case sys with other (nom and dat) constructions; V infl for class/ tense/ mood, V agr for pers in Bats

Papuan languages, not all genetically related, includes: Asmat/ Fore/ Banning/ Ava/ Abelam/ Kamoro/ Veri/ Keva/ Elmek/ Bongu/ Telefol/ Tairora/ Nasioi/ Ono/ Gadsup/ Morari and 1000 others; Papuan New Guinea; ; consonants include: preglottalized/ prenasalized/ labialized/ lateral ejectives, few vowels, some have tones; N classes often based on M/F or anim/inanim or hierarchy of being or shape-motion, sometimes plur or collectives, case by declension rare, some suppletives for anim, some redup for inanim; plur-collective may be marked in Adjimpoverished numeral systems; 3 to 12 Pron series: indep/ bound/ ad-verbal/ etc, some case, some poss: alien/inalien, gend, num: sing/ dual/ trinity/ etc, emph/non-emph, demons: complex with spatial and sometimes movement; usu marks pers often by infix, usu marked for obj, oft for subj, no passive, complex tense system may include 9 pasts, narrative tenses, modes: durative/ semelfactive/ completitive/ repetitive, V infl for posture (e.g. "stand" vs "lie"); postp, including similitive ("like"); usu SOV, some SVO

Polynesian languages, Austronesian; Pacific; few phonemes, ambiguous word boundaries; 3 num, alien (/a/) vs inalien (/o/) poss, some ass case sys and some erg case sys; ; 3 demons (by dist or deixis); V complex: infl + root + Advs, neg particle can code tense; ; usu VSO, some SVO; redup common, internal infl rare, deriv by compunding and affix and redup

Romance languages, Indo-European Italic; Europe and South America; ; M/F, 2 num, arts bind num with def/indef, no case; N Adj (agr), arts also agree; 3 pers, 2 num, 4 case; V tense/mood/asp stems (asp in past); prep; SVO, with Pron obj: SOV

American Sign Language; French origin and heavy English influence; United States; signs: one-hand/two-hand, letters and numerals, N classifiers, indexs pointing to referent or location associated therewith, size and shape specifiers as non-lexical iconic depiction of Ns, graphic depiction a dynamic non-lexical iconic depiction of Ns or Vs, sign mime uses body or hand as stand-in for N in acted-out scenario, non-maual features include facial expression (often grammatically required) and body language and spatial-temporal organization; gend optionally marked by signing in appropriate location with respect to the head, num by any of 7 means some conveying spatial distribution, case by order or integration into V, N often same as V but repeats sign quickly; N Adj, may be incorporated or specific signs; Prons by specific signs or pointing to index or taking on the role of referent or N classifier, num 1-through-4 (holding up that number of fingers) or pluralized as N, integrated into V production; V may integrate N or Pron subj or obj, tense signs or graded tense by locating sign along front-back line, many Vs are inherently directional which allows N incorporation, at least 5 asp which may be combined identified: durative/ iterative/ intensive/ incremental/ incipient, much non-lexical Adv modification by incorporation into execution, non-lexical Vs by sign mime or motion with N classifier, many other modifiers by incorporation or separate sign; prep, often iconic; SVO free