His birthday (1-4-1887) was noted during my 2018 Linguistic Birthdays sequence. He was still very influential in linguistics when I began to learn about it in the 1960s, particularly for his book _Language_ (1933).
Crystal has a quote from Chapter 2 of that book:
"The most difficult step in the study of language is the first step. Again and again, scholarship has approached the study of language without actually entering upon it. Linguistic science arose from relatively practical preoccupations, such as the use of writing, the study of literature and especially of older records, and the prescription of elegant speech, but people can spend any amount of time on these things without actually entering into linguistic study."
Ar an fichiú lá de mí Aibreán, scríobh Ross Clark:
> His birthday (1-4-1887) was noted during my 2018 Linguistic Birthdays
> sequence. He was still very influential in linguistics when I began to learn
> about it in the 1960s, particularly for his book _Language_ (1933).
>
> Crystal has a quote from Chapter 2 of that book:
>
> "The most difficult step in the study of language is the first step. Again
> and again, scholarship has approached the study of language without actually
> entering upon it. Linguistic science arose from relatively practical
> preoccupations, such as the use of writing, the study of literature and
> especially of older records, and the prescription of elegant speech, but
> people can spend any amount of time on these things without actually
> entering into linguistic study."
A very small-tent approach, odd to take it as someone academically senior, who
might be thought to have reason to increase his area of interest. Rules out PTD’s ‘The World’s Writing Systems’ for one.
[...] A very small-tent approach, odd to take it as someone academically senior, who might be thought to have reason to increase his area of interest. Rules out PTD’s ‘The World’s Writing Systems’ for one.
But PTD did not spend his whole life studying writing!
He did enter into linguistic study (even read Bloomfield, and was taught by one of his students). This study undoubtedly informed his treatment of writing systems.
Plus, I don't think Bloomfield is saying these other areas of study are worthless -- just that they should be distinguished from linguistic science.
"The most difficult step in the study of language is the first step. Again and again, scholarship has approached the study of language without actually
entering upon it. Linguistic science arose from relatively practical preoccupations, such as the use of writing, the study of literature and especially of older records, and the prescription of elegant speech, but people can spend any amount of time on these things without actually entering into linguistic study."
A very small-tent approach, odd to take it as someone academically senior, who
might be thought to have reason to increase his area of interest. Rules out PTD’s ‘The World’s Writing Systems’ for one.
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