descriptive linguistics sanford b . steever , ed , , the dravidian languages this authoritative reference provides unique descriptions of 11 dravidian languages , covering their historical development with discussions of their specialized linguistic structures and features . each chapter combines modern linguistic theory with traditional historical linguistics and a uniform chapter structure allows for easy comparison between the individual languages . two further chapters provide general information about the language family - - the introduction covers the history , cultural implications and linguistic background , and a separate article on dravidian writing systems . written by a team of experts , each language chapter offers a detailed analysis of phonology , morpology , syntax and lexicon . routledge language family descriptions routledge : 1998 : 464 pp cl : 0 415 10023 2 : # d3366 : $ 160 . 00 for more information on these and other titles from : routledge london * new york in north america : www . routledge-ny . com elsewhere : www . routledge . com