Henry Gleitman
Encyclopedia
Henry Gleitman is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology
at the University of Pennsylvania
.
Gleitman was born in Leipzig, Germany. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley
. He then taught at Swarthmore College
before joining the UPenn faculty in 1953.
Gleitman is a cognitive psychologist with interests in language
(especially the relationship between semantics
and syntax
), but he claims, "I'm probably better identified as a general psychologist
whose research interests range over many of the traditional areas of psychological inquiry." Gleitman is best known for his authorship of Psychology, a classic textbook first published in 1981 used in many Introduction to Psychology classes, now in its eighth edition. He is married to fellow psychologist Lila R. Gleitman
, an internationally-renowned language acquisition
researcher, who is also a Professor Emerita of Psychology
and Linguistics
at the University of Pennsylvania.
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
.
Gleitman was born in Leipzig, Germany. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He then taught at Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
before joining the UPenn faculty in 1953.
Gleitman is a cognitive psychologist with interests in language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
(especially the relationship between semantics
Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
and syntax
Syntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
), but he claims, "I'm probably better identified as a general psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
whose research interests range over many of the traditional areas of psychological inquiry." Gleitman is best known for his authorship of Psychology, a classic textbook first published in 1981 used in many Introduction to Psychology classes, now in its eighth edition. He is married to fellow psychologist Lila R. Gleitman
Lila R. Gleitman
Lila Gleitman is a Professor Emerita of Psychology and Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an internationally-renowned expert on language acquisition and developmental psycholinguistics, focusing on children's learning of their first language. Gleitman received a B.A. in...
, an internationally-renowned language acquisition
Language acquisition
Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive, produce and use words to understand and communicate. This capacity involves the picking up of diverse capacities including syntax, phonetics, and an extensive vocabulary. This language might be vocal as with...
researcher, who is also a Professor Emerita of Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and Linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
at the University of Pennsylvania.