3 Credits

What was American linguistics like in the 19th century?  What were
the linguistic issues of the day?  What were linguistic studies like
in the 19th century?  How was language understood and how did
developments in Europe impact on American linguistics?  This unique
course will explore these questions.  The readings will consist of
material about 19th century American linguistics as well as linguistic
studies written in the 19th century.  Among the issues that could be
discussed include the development of an American language and how
scholars at the time perceived it, studies of American Indian
languages, early studies on dialects, African American
pedagogical grammars, the controversy over language and the deaf, and
the influence of Darwinism on American linguistics,   Students are
encouraged to pursue topics that they are already interested in, but
pursue it from a 19th century perspective.  For example, those
interested in creoles or African American English can explore 19th
century studies on these topics. Those interested in phonology can
examine some of the early works on phonology.  Those interested in
phonetics could examine such issues as the vocabulary that was used to
describe sounds in grammars before the development of a phonetic
alphabet.  One can explore the nature of early grammars on American
Indian languages.  One can look at linguistic related encyclopedia
entries from the 1830's through the 1890's to see how they
changed over time and what influenced them.  The course requirements
include class presentations of reading assignments, a term paper, and
a term paper presentation.