Home › Authors › Merritt Ruhlen 👤 Merritt Ruhlen b. 1944 – d. 2021 · 4 books Biography American linguist who worked on the classification of languages and what this reveals about the origin and evolution of modern humans. Books by Merritt Ruhlen On the origin of languages 1994 Guide to the World's Languages Guide to the World's Languages 1987 Rumanian phonology Rumanian phonology 1980 A guide to the languages of the world 1976