I have just come across Anatole V. Lyovin - An Introduction to the
Languages of the World, published this year by Oxford University Press in
Nrew York (ISBN 0-19-508115-3, and 0-19-508116-1 Paperback).
This seems an excellent compilation in one volume of all the information
that the originator of this thread seemed to be looking for, with genetic
classifications and typological evocations of languages all round the
world, and an appendix of language maps drawn from W. Bright's
Encyclopaedia of Linguistics. In terms of space, the Americas are rather
over-represented, but hey, it's an American book. (Europe too is grossly
over-represented of course, but we're used to that.)
So there is a text book now, for that survey of the world's languages.
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Nicholas Ostler
Managing Director President
Linguacubun Ltd Foundation for Endangered Languages
http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Philosophy/CTLL/FEL/
Batheaston Villa, 172 Bailbrook Lane
Bath BA1 7AA England
+44-1225-85-2865 fax +44-1225-85-9258
nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk