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

Drawing on both original texts and critical literature, Linguistics in a Colonial World surveys the methods, meanings, and uses of early linguistic projects around the world. This work: explores how early endeavours in linguistics were used to aid in overcoming practical and ideological difficulties of colonial rule; traces the uses and effects of colonial linguistic projects in the shaping of identities and communities that were under, or in opposition to, imperial regimes; examines enduring influences of colonial linguistics in contemporary thinking about language and cultural difference; and, brings new insight into post-colonial controversies including endangered languages and language rights in the globalized twenty-first century.