William Dwight Whitney and the Science of Language

Stephen G. Alter, professor of history at Gordon College, Massachusetts, is the author of Darwinism and the Linguistic Image, also available from Johns Hopkins.

• PrefaceIntroduction: A Pathclearer in Linguistic ScienceChapter 1. An American OrientalistChapter 2. Indological ForeshadowingsChapter 3. Victorian Language DebatesChapter 4. Building a System of General LinguisticsChapter 5. Organizing a New ScienceChapter 6. Creating a Science of LanguageChapter 7. Forging an Alliance with AnthropologyChapter 8. The Battle with Max MüllerChapter 9. The Elder Statesman and the JunggrammatikerChapter 10. Enduring LegaciesW.D. Whitney ChronologyNotesW.D. Whitney's Main Works in General Linguistics Essay on SourcesIndex

A 'must' for linguistics collections. The Bookwatch 2005 A deeply engaging book that should be of interest to historians, linguists, and anyone interested in the relation between science and society in the nineteenth century and beyond. -- Brigitte Nerlich American Historical Review 2006 Should be required reading for all those eager to immerse themselves in the fascinating early years of linguistic science. -- T. Craig Christy Historiographia Linguistica 2007