William Dwight Whitney

Thomas Day SeymourProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 68K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.William Dwight Whitney by Thomas D. SeymourAuthor: Seymour, Thomas D. (Thomas Day), 1848-1907,Language: English, Class: PK: Language and Literatures: Indo-Iranian literatures, Release Date: Nov 23, 2013

Editor's review

This book is Thomas D. Seymour's biographical account of the linguist William Dwight Whitney and is a public-domain e-book. Whitney was a major figure in nineteenth-century American Sanskrit studies and linguistics, and his scholarly work spanned Sanskrit grammar and the science of language. The book's value lies in presenting Whitney's academic career and scholarly character from the perspective of a contemporary; it is relatively concise and suitable as an introductory read for understanding early American Orientalism and the history of linguistics. Readers can use it to observe the intellectual context and scholarly networks of nineteenth-century humanists. The text is in English and bears the stylistic features of nineteenth-century biography, emphasizing facts and academic lineages rather than dramatic narration. As for reading situations, it works well as supplementary material when consulting sources on the history of linguistics, Sanskrit studies, or American academic institutions, and is also suitable for readers interested in public-domain scholarly biography to browse at leisure. Note that this is not a modern scholarly biography and lacks contemporary critical frameworks; readers should use it alongside other research literature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying the history of linguistics and Sanskrit studies, who can consult it as background material
General readers interested in nineteenth-century American scholarship and Orientalism
Students of foreign languages or history needing public-domain English biographical material
Readers who enjoy short scholarly profiles and want a quick introduction to Whitney

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a modern critical biography or in-depth theoretical analysis
General readers who struggle with English and would prefer a Chinese translation
Beginning learners seeking a systematic grounding in Sanskrit grammar or linguistics

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and the first and last chapters first to grasp the overall structure and the author's general assessment of Whitney, then select sections of interest.
Jot down names, institutions, and works mentioned while reading, and check the background against reference works on the history of linguistics.
If the English style is an obstacle, read the introductory passages first, then gradually move into detailed narration.
Read alongside prefaces to Whitney's own works or relevant encyclopedia entries for cross-verification.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book an autobiography written by Whitney himself?

No. The author is Thomas D. Seymour (1848–1907), and the book is a biographical account of William Dwight Whitney, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain e-book. Readers should regard it as biographical material written by another person, not an autobiography.

Can I read this book without any knowledge of Sanskrit?

Yes. The book focuses on the subject's life and academic career and does not require readers to know Sanskrit. However, it does involve professional background in linguistics and Sanskrit studies, and readers without such knowledge may need reference works or encyclopedia entries to assist comprehension.

Is this book suitable for writing academic papers?

It can be used as supplementary material. It provides a contemporary's account of Whitney, but it is not a modern scholarly biography and lacks contemporary research frameworks and critical discussion. It is advisable to cite it alongside monographs on the history of linguistics, Whitney's original works, and related research literature.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Thomas Day Seymour Author · American · 1848–1907

Thomas Day Seymour (1848–1907) was an American classicist who long taught at Yale University as Professor of Greek Language and Greek Literature and was known for his work on Homer. One work by him is held in this collection, William Dwight Whitney, a biographical piece on the life and scholarship of the linguist William Dwight Whitney. Public information is limited, so a complete list of his writings and the details of his life cannot be set out here; the available facts nevertheless show a writer trained in classics and skilled in biographical narrative, concerned with situating his subject within a scholarly tradition, plain in style and solid in documentation. His Homeric scholarship and teaching also gave him a professional eye when writing about a fellow scholar of his time, and the work is of some value for understanding the linguistic and classical circles of nineteenth-century America.