The Linguasphere Register

of the world’s languages and speech communities

Linguasphere lexicon

The terms created and used to describe, analyse and classify fluid or "fuzzy" phenomena, such as speech and communication, should be recognised as useful labels and concepts, but not necessarily as concrete realities in themselves.

The definitions below apply to the use of most of the following terms within this edition of the Linguasphere Register and the accompanying text, and in the case of classificational terms should be read in conjunction with the Table of Layers of Classification on p. 297 below. Earlier terms which are cited here without endorsement are enclosed in ’single quotes’.

The following lexicon is intended to be fluid, not rigid. It is not designed to be prescriptive, and is descriptive only as far as the present edition of the Register is concerned. The Lexicon will achieve its purpose if it stimulates active discussion about the terms and concepts which may be useful in the discussion of human communication in the 21st century, and if that discussion can contribute to the progressive refinement and expansion of the lexicon itself. The terminology necessary to describe and debate the technical aspects of the linguasphere and of the Register cannot be separated easily from the issues concerning the management of the wider logosphere. Some of the entries in the following lexicon are therefore designed to make a modest contribution to the more general debate about the conduct and ethics of an increasingly globalised society.

To be continued.

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