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The Routledge Handbook of the History of Descriptive Linguistics provides an accessible and comprehensive overview of the history of the language sciences, focusing on the structure of languages from a global perspective, including both European and non-European traditions, and how they intersected and sometimes even shaped a new linguistic tradition.

The study of the great variety of typological structures has been, and still is, a great challenge for scholars. This Handbook concentrates on descriptions of Western and non-Western languages, with an emphasis on the latter, and the impact of these studies on the history of linguistic thought. It provides a survey of the most important sources, analysing linguistic documentation, namely grammars and a selection of pioneering lexicographical works, as well as other sources written by explorers, historians, travellers and others. Divided into six parts, the handbook consists of an introduction followed by 36 chapters by leading and emerging scholars. It addresses past and current debates, trends and issues arising from growing interest in the field since the last quarter of the twentieth century.

This Handbook offers a global overview of the history of descriptive linguistics, from both European and non-European perspectives, and is an essential reference for researchers and scholars interested in the history of linguistics, descriptive linguistics, and language typology.