Toward a history of American linguistics

"When the Linguistic Society of America was founded in 1924, linguistics became professionalized and was no longer the domain of philologists or amateur students of language. From an initial consideration of seventeenth-century missionary studies of indigenous languages, Toward a History of American Linguistics goes on to focus mainly on the ideas of scholars who dominated linguistic thinking in the post-1924 period." "Beginning with the anthropological linguistic tradition associated primarily with Franz Boas, Edward Sapir and their students, and concluding with the work of Noam Chomsky and William Labov at the end of the twentieth century, this book offers a comprehensive account of essential periods and areas of research in the history of American linguistics and also addresses contemporary debates and issues within linguistics." "Toward a History of American Linguistics is invaluable reading for academics and advanced students within the fields of linguistics and the history of linguistics."--BOOK JACKET.