Linguistics in a Colonial World: A Story of Language, Meaning, and Power

As knowledge of exotic languages became important for colonial power, linguistic scholarship became a crucial contributing element to colonial regimes. Linguistics in a Colonial World draws on both original texts and critical literature to survey the methods, meanings, and uses of linguistics in and for colonial projects over three centuries. By focussing on the shaping effects of linguists’ work on identities and communities, this book foregrounds their field′s larger meanings and uses for the practical and ideological challenges of colonial rule. Additionally, it traces continuities between colonial and postcolonial politics of culture as they emerge in contemporary controversies over language endangerment and rights in a globalizing twenty–first century.

Preface. Acknowledgments. List of Figures and Table. 1. The Linguistic in the Colonial. 2. Early Conversions, or, How Spanish Friars Made the Little Jump. 3. Imaging the Linguistic Past. 4. Philology′s Evolutions. 5. Between Pentecost and Pidgins. 6. Colonial Linguists, (Proto)–National Languages. 7. Postcolonial Postscript. References. Language Index. Persons Index. Subject Index

Joseph Errington is Professor of Anthropology and International and Area Studies, as well as Chair of the Council of Southeast Asian Studies, at Yale University. His research and writing have focused on linguistic dimensions of modernization and identity in Java and Indonesia, reflecting his broader interests in semiotics and the politics of language.

"This slim book covers a lot of ground, geographically, historically, and intellectually." ( Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute , December 2008) "Errington … provides a useful overview of analytical and methodological developments and changing applications in the history of linguistics. Highly recommended." ( CHOICE , November 2008) "The succinctness of the writing and the importance of the central argument make the reviewed text likely to appear on many course syllabi." ( Journal of Sociolinguistics )