A comprehensive account of the Sino-Tibetan, a language stock comparable in size and diversification to Indo-European and comprising Chinese, Karen and over a hundred Tibetan-Burman languages. Dr Benedict presents a systematic analysis of the morphology and phonology of the main descendants of the stock, traces their family relationships and reconstructs in outline the parent language, Sino-Tibetan. There is a glossary of Tibeto-Burman index, which should prove of especial value as a working tool for scholars. Although the book was first drafted many years ago, Dr Benedict made extensive annotations on the original manuscript and Professor James A. Matisoff added many notes on bibliography and the Burmese-Lolo group of languages. The scope and original theses of the work, however, remain unaltered and the editors present it as a major and original contribution to the study of oriental linguistics.

Sino-Tibetan: A Conspectus, Cambridge University Press, Paul K Benedict, 2009, 224pp, $45.99

1. Introduction; 2. Taxonomy (general); 3. Taxonomy (Sino-Tibetan); 4. Tibeto-Burman classification; 5. Tibeto-Burman reconstruction (history); 6. Tibeto-Burman primary sources; 7. Tibeto-Burman consonants (general; final); 8. Tibeto-Burman consonants (initial); 9. Tibeto-Burman consonant clusters; 10. Tibeto-Burman vowels (finals; dipthongs); 11. Tibeto-Burman vowels (medials); 12. Tibeto-Burman tones; 13. Tibeto-Burman morphology (history); 14. Tibeto-Burman morphology (categories); 15. Tibeto-Burman pronouns; 16. Tibeto-Burman numerals; 17. Tibeto-Burman morphology and syntax (general); 18. Tibeto-Burman affixes (special); 19. Tibeto-Burman affixes (general); 20. Tibeto-Burman dental suffixes; 21. Tibeto-Burman prefixes (general); 22. Tibeto-Burman prefixed s-; 23. Tibeto-Burman prefixed r-; 24. Tibeto-Burman prefixed b-; 25. Tibeto-Burman prefixed g-; 26. Tibeto-Burman prefixed d-; 27. Tibeto-Burman prefixed m-; 28. Tibeto-Burman prefixed a-; 29. Tibeto-Burman alternation (consonantal, vocalic); 30. Karen (general); 31. Karen morphology (categories) and syntax; 32. Karen pronouns; 33. Karen numerals; 34. Karen prefixes; 35. Karen initial consonants and clusters; 36. Karen final consonants and medial vowels; 37. Karen final vowels and semi-vowels; 38. Karen tones; 39. Chinese (general, history); 40. Chinese morphology (prefixes, suffices, alternation); 41. Chinese pronouns; 42. Chinese numerals; 43. Chinese phonology (history); 44. Chinese consonants (initials, finals); 45. Chinese consonant clusters; 46. Chinese vowels and diphthongs; 47. Chinese tones; 48. Resume (Chinese); Appendices.