Beginning with the anthropological linguistic tradition associated primarily with the names of Franz Boas, Edward Sapir and their students and concluding with the work of Noam Chomsky and William Labov at the end of the century. This book offers a comprehensive account of essential periods and areas of research in the history of American Linguistics and also addresses contemporary debates and issues within linguistics.

Topics covered include:

* The sources of the 'Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis'

* Leonard Bloomfield and the Cours de linguistique générale

* The 'Chomskyan Revolution' and its Historiography

* The Origins of Morphophonemics in American Linguistics

*William Labov and the Origins of Sociolinguistics in America.

Toward a History of American Linguistics will be invaluable reading for academics and advanced students within the fields of linguistics and the history of linguistics.