science

Linguistic Bibliography

Linguistic Bibliography is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Linguistic Bibliography rather than just read about it. In short: The Linguistic Bibliography / Bibliographie Linguistique is an annual publication which first appeared in 1949. The publication provides comprehensive bibliographical descriptions of publications in theoretical linguistics, with about 20,000 items added per year.

Key takeaways

Linguistic Bibliography belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Linguistic Bibliography to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Linguistic Bibliography from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Linguistic Bibliography / Bibliographie Linguistique is an annual publication which first appeared in 1949. The publication provides comprehensive bibliographical descriptions of publications in theoretical linguistics, with about 20,000 items added per year. Since 2002, the database has also been available online, as Linguistic Bibliography Online, and contains data from 1993 onward.

Overview The Linguistic Bibliography covers all disciplines of theoretical linguistics, both general and language specific, from all geographical areas, with the emphasis on lesser-known Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages. Both Linguistic Bibliography / Bibliographie Linguistique and Linguistic Bibliography Online are published by Brill Leiden, Netherlands, on the authority of the Permanent International Committee of Linguists and under the auspices of the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences. As of 1993, the online edition contained all entries of the printed volumes, with new records added on a monthly basis. Annual volumes of the Linguistic Bibliography are still published in print.

Organization and features Linguistic Bibliography's Online database contains over 360,000 records and is cross-searchable. It is updated 10 times per year with around 20,000 new records added per year. The database contains over 114,000 person's names, 2,400 journals and 10,000 publishers with records classified according to language and subject descriptors. Titles are given in their original language, with English translations provided of titles in lesser-known languages. Only scientific publications are included, and applied linguistic publications are listed only if they have theoretical implications. The Bibliography is published on the authority of the Permanent International Committee of Linguistics (CIPL) and is in accordance with the rules of the International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA). Contributors include a network of international specialists, with some of these experts responsible for a specific field of linguistics, while others cover the production of their home country. The languages of the world are grouped under large categories, e.g. "Semitic". A separate section for Pidgin and Creole languages was added in 1952. Though linguists today study sign languages as true languages, the category "Sign languages" was not added until the 1988 volume, when it appeared with 39 entries.

Categories Topics covered include:

See also International Congress of Linguists

References

External links Linguistic Bibliography Linguistic Bibliography at CIPL]

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Linguistic Bibliography

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Linguistic Bibliography claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Linguistic Bibliography before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Linguistic Bibliography ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Linguistic Bibliography

In research: Linguistic Bibliography appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Linguistic Bibliography in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Linguistic Bibliography is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Academic works about linguistics, Publications established in 1949, Published bibliographies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Linguistic Bibliography outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Linguistic Bibliography” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Linguistic Bibliography in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Linguistic Bibliography means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Linguistic Bibliography out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Linguistic Bibliography in simple terms?

Why does Linguistic Bibliography matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Linguistic Bibliography?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Linguistic Bibliography.