The history of Sector of Areal Linguistics started in 1976 from the working group "Jaziki Mira" [Languages of the world]. Later, "Jaziki Mira" [Languages of the world] became a structural unit of the Department of Indo-European Languages. Further on, in 2011 the group Jaziki Mira" [Languages of the world] was trasformed into the Sector of Areal Linguistucs and became part of the Department of Typology and Areal Linguistics.
Sector of Areal Linguistics is a leading research center not only in the field of the study of linguistic areas and their mapping, but also in various related fields. Employees are actively participate in organisation of conferencies which are held in the Institute. The workers are engaged in field reserch, documentation and preservation of languages and language policy isssues.
The Sector continues the preparation of a multi-volume encyclopedic publication "Languages of the World".
To date, 23 volumes have been published, including:
- Ural'skie jazyki [Ural languages]. Moscow: Nauka. 1993. 398 p.
- T'jurkskie jazyki [Turkic languages]. Bishkek: Izdatel'skij dom Kyrgystan. 1997. Moscow: Indrik, 1997. 544 p.
- Pal'eoaziatskie jazyki [Paleo-Asiatic languages].Moscow: Indrik, 1997. 231 p.
- Mongol'skie jazyki. Tunguso-man'čžurskie jazyki. Japonskij jazyk. Korejskij jazyk [Mongolian languages. Manchu-Tungus languages. Japanese language. Korean language]. Moscow: Indrik, 1997. 408 p.
- Iranskie jazyki. Jugozapadnye iranskie jazyki [The Iranian languages. I. The southwestern Iranian languages].Moscow: Indrik. 1997. 207 p.
- Dardskie i nurianskie jazyki [Dardic and Nuristan languages]. Moscow: Indrik. 1997. 142 p.
- Iranskie jazyki. II. Jugozapadnye iranskie jazyki [The Iranian languages. II. The southwestern Iranian languages].Moscow: Indrik. 1999. 304 p.
- Iranskie jazyki. III. Vostočnoiranskie jazyki [The Iranian languages. III. Eastern Iranian languages].Moscow: Indrik. 1999. 344 p.
- Kavkazkie jazyki [Caucasian languages]. Moscow: Academia.1999. 474 p.
- Germanskie jazyki [German languages]. Moscow: Academia.2000. 472 p.
- Romaskie jazyki [Romance languages]. Moscow: Academia. 2001. 720 p.
- Indoarijskie jazyki drevnego i srednego periodov [Indo-Aryan languages of the ancient and Middle Ages]. Moscow: Academia. 2004. 160 p.
- Jaziki mira. Slavjanskie jazyki [Languages of the world. Slavic languages]. Moscow: Academia. 2006. 224 p.
- Baltijskie jazyki [Baltic languages]. Moscow: Academia. 2006. 224 p.
- Semitskie jazyki. Akkadskij jazyk. Severnozapadnosemitskie jazyki [Semitic languages. Akkadian language. Northwest Semitic languages]. Moscow: Academia. 2009. 840 p.
- Drevnie reliktovye jazyki Perednej Azii [ Ancient languages of Western Asia]. Moscow: Academia. 2010. 240 p.
- Novye indoiranskie jazyki [New Indo-Aryan languages]. Moscow: Academia. 2011. 896 p.
- Senitskie jazyki. Èfiosemitskie jazyki [Semitic languages. Ethiosemitic languages]. Moscow: Academia. 2013. 624 p.
- Dravidijskie jazyki [Dravidian languages]. Moscow: Academia. 2013. 584 p.
- Reliktovye indoevropejskie jazyki Perednej i Central'noj Azii [Ancient Indo-European languages of Western and Central Asia]. Moscow: Academia. 2013. 512 p.
- Jazyki Mande [Mande languages]. St.Pesrsburg: Nestor-Isorija. 2017. 1152 p.
- Slavjanskie jazyki [Slavic languages]. Vol. 2. St.Pesrsburg: Nestor-Isorija. 2017. 680 p.
- Paleoevropejskie jazyki Evropy [Paleoeuropean Languages of Europe]. St.Pesrsburg: Nestor-Isorija. 2020. 396 p.