Trends in linguistics.

Aboriginal people have been in Australia for at least 40,000 years, speaking about 250 languages. Through examination of published and unpublished materials on each of the individual languages, Professor Dixon surveys the ways in which the languages vary typologically and presents a profile of this long-established linguistic area. The areal distribution of most features is illustrated with more than 30 maps, showing that the languages tend to move in cyclic fashion with respect to many of the parameters. There is also an index of languages and language groups. Professor Dixon, a pioneering scholar in the field, brings a unique perspective to this diverse and complex material.

A somewhat humorous retelling, featuring Balaam's donkey, of the Bible story in which Balak, king of Moab, calls upon Balaam, the prophet, to curse the Israelites, but he blesses them instead.