The study, a joint project of the universities of Mainz and Addis Ababa, examines the role of cultural and linguistic contact in various multi-ethnic regions of the African country, focusing on the interrelationship between language knowledge, the use of languages and language change over several generations, and conditions and factors that can hinder or promote the development of certain languages. Ethiopia has over 70 native tongues. The study is not indexed. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)