Murray Barnson Emeneau
Encyclopedia
Murray Barnson Emeneau was an emeritus
professor
and founder of the Department of Linguistics
at the University of California, Berkeley
.
, a fishing town on the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Having distinguished himself in classical languages in high school, he obtained a four-year scholarship to Dalhousie University
in Halifax to further his classical studies.
On obtaining his B.A. degree from Dalhousie, Emeneau was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
to Balliol College at Oxford University. From Oxford he arrived at Yale University
in 1926, where he took a teaching appointment in Latin. While at Yale, Emeneau began Sanskrit
and Indo-European
studies with the Sanskritist Franklin Edgerton and Indo-Europeanist Edgar Sturtevant. In 1931 Emeneau was awarded his Ph.D. with a dissertation on the Vetālapañcaviṃśatī
.
Given the dire employment situation in the early 1930s, Emeneau stayed on at Yale after completing his dissertation, taking courses in the "new linguistics" being taught by Edward Sapir
. Emeneau wrote:
It was Sapir who suggested that Emeneau take up a study of the Toda
language of the Nilgiri hills in South India with an aim toward a comparative study of the Dravidian languages
. Emeneau may have been the last student of Sapir.
and Peri Bhaskararao using modern phonetic methods.
His linguistic descriptions of Dravidian languages were often accompanied by sociolinguistic, folkloric, and ethnographic description. Emeneau is also credited with the study of areal phenomena in linguistics, with his seminal article, India as a Linguistic Area. Emeneau's contribution to Dravidian linguistics includes detailed descriptions of Toda
, Badaga
, Kolami
, and Kota
.
Perhaps Emeneau's greatest achievement in Dravidian studies is the Dravidian Etymological Dictionary (in two volumes), written with Thomas Burrow and first published in 1961. Despite the characteristic reserve that eschewed historical reconstruction, this work, revised in a 1984 second edition, remains the indispensable guide, tool, and authority for every Dravidianist.
), which has cataloged and documented indigenous languages of the Americas
for several decades.
Emeneau served as president of the Linguistic Society of America
(LSA) in 1949 as well as serving as editor of the Society's journal, Language. In 1952 he served as president of the American Oriental Society
.
Emeneau was named the Collitz Professor of the Linguistic Society of America in 1953, and at Berkeley he gave the Faculty Research Lecture in 1957. The recipient of four honorary degrees — from the University of Chicago
(1968), Dalhousie University (1970), the University of Hyderabad
(1987), and Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University
(1999) — as well as the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal from Yale and the Medal of Merit of the American Oriental Society.
Emeneau was also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, a Fellow of the British Academy
, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society
, an Honorary Member of the Linguistic Society of India and of the National Institute of Humanistic Sciences, Vietnam, and the sole Honorary Member of the Philological Society
(the oldest professional linguistic society in the world).
He was also the visiting professor at The Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh.Well into his 90s, Emeneau was known to visit the Departments of Linguistics and South and Southeast Asian studies at Berkeley posing interesting and difficult linguistic questions to new generations of students of Indian linguistics.
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and founder of the Department of 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 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...
.
Early life and education
Emeneau was born in LunenburgLunenburg
Lunenburg was the form customary in 18th-century English for Lüneburg, the city and region in Germany. It therefore occurs in several placenames in North America.-Canada:*Lunenburg, Nova Scotia*Lunenburg, Nova Scotia...
, a fishing town on the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Having distinguished himself in classical languages in high school, he obtained a four-year scholarship to Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in Halifax to further his classical studies.
On obtaining his B.A. degree from Dalhousie, Emeneau was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to Balliol College at Oxford University. From Oxford he arrived at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1926, where he took a teaching appointment in Latin. While at Yale, Emeneau began Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Indo-European
Indo-European
Indo-European may refer to:* Indo-European languages** Aryan race, a 19th century and early 20th century term for those peoples who are the native speakers of Indo-European languages...
studies with the Sanskritist Franklin Edgerton and Indo-Europeanist Edgar Sturtevant. In 1931 Emeneau was awarded his Ph.D. with a dissertation on the Vetālapañcaviṃśatī
Baital Pachisi
Baital Pachisi or Vetala Panchavimshati , is a collection of tales and legends within a frame story, from India. It was originally written in Sanskrit....
.
Given the dire employment situation in the early 1930s, Emeneau stayed on at Yale after completing his dissertation, taking courses in the "new linguistics" being taught by Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir was an American anthropologist-linguist, widely considered to be one of the most important figures in the early development of the discipline of linguistics....
. Emeneau wrote:
It was Sapir who suggested that Emeneau take up a study of the Toda
Toda language
Toda is a Dravidian language well known for its many fricatives and trills. It is spoken by the Toda people, a population of about one thousand who live in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India.-Vowels:...
language of the Nilgiri hills in South India with an aim toward a comparative study of the Dravidian languages
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
. Emeneau may have been the last student of Sapir.
Dravidian and Indian linguistics
Emeneau contributed study of the lesser known, non-literary languages of the Dravidian family. His work on the Toda language remains essential reading for students of Dravidian. His phonetic descriptions of the language, based on impressionistic data collection without the aid of recording devices, was corroborated some 60 years later by the eminent phoneticians Peter LadefogedPeter Ladefoged
Peter Nielsen Ladefoged was an English-American linguist and phonetician who traveled the world to document the distinct sounds of endangered languages and pioneered ways to collect and study data . He was active at the universities of Edinburgh, Scotland and Ibadan, Nigeria 1953–61...
and Peri Bhaskararao using modern phonetic methods.
His linguistic descriptions of Dravidian languages were often accompanied by sociolinguistic, folkloric, and ethnographic description. Emeneau is also credited with the study of areal phenomena in linguistics, with his seminal article, India as a Linguistic Area. Emeneau's contribution to Dravidian linguistics includes detailed descriptions of Toda
Toda language
Toda is a Dravidian language well known for its many fricatives and trills. It is spoken by the Toda people, a population of about one thousand who live in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India.-Vowels:...
, Badaga
Badaga language
The Badaga language is a southern Dravidian language spoken by approximately 400,000 people in the Nilgiri Hills in Southern India. It is known for its retroflex vowels. The word Badaga refers to the Badaga language as well as the Badaga community/tribe...
, Kolami
Kolami language
Kolami is a tribal Central Dravidian language used in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra states of India. It takes route from the central branch of Dravidian Language tree and falls under Kolami–Paraji group of languages....
, and Kota
Kota language
Kota is a language of the Dravidian language family, spoken by 1,400 native speakers and 2,000 total speakers in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu state, India.-Phonology:...
.
Perhaps Emeneau's greatest achievement in Dravidian studies is the Dravidian Etymological Dictionary (in two volumes), written with Thomas Burrow and first published in 1961. Despite the characteristic reserve that eschewed historical reconstruction, this work, revised in a 1984 second edition, remains the indispensable guide, tool, and authority for every Dravidianist.
Professional achievements
In addition to the Department of Linguistics, Emeneau also founded the Survey of California Indian Languages (later renamed the Survey of California and Other Indian LanguagesSurvey of California and Other Indian Languages
The Survey of California and Other Indian Languages at the University of California at Berkeley documents, catalogs, and archives the indigenous languages of the Americas...
), which has cataloged and documented indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
for several decades.
Emeneau served as president of the Linguistic Society of America
Linguistic Society of America
The Linguistic Society of America is a professional society for linguists. It was founded in 1924 to advance linguistics, the scientific study of human language. The LSA has over 5,000 individual members and welcomes linguists of all kinds. It works to advance the discipline and to communicate...
(LSA) in 1949 as well as serving as editor of the Society's journal, Language. In 1952 he served as president of the American Oriental Society
American Oriental Society
The American Oriental Society was chartered under the laws of Massachusetts on September 7, 1842. It is one of the oldest learned societies in America, and is the oldest devoted to a particular field of scholarship....
.
Emeneau was named the Collitz Professor of the Linguistic Society of America in 1953, and at Berkeley he gave the Faculty Research Lecture in 1957. The recipient of four honorary degrees — from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(1968), Dalhousie University (1970), the University of Hyderabad
University of Hyderabad
The University of Hyderabad is a post-graduate teaching and research institute in India. It was established by an act of the Parliament in 1974 as a Central University. The university also offers courses under distance learning programs...
(1987), and Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University
Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University
Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University is a state university located at Darbhanga, Bihar, India, dedicated to the teaching end promotion of Sanskrit.-History:...
(1999) — as well as the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal from Yale and the Medal of Merit of the American Oriental Society.
Emeneau was also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, a Fellow of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
, an Honorary Member of the Linguistic Society of India and of the National Institute of Humanistic Sciences, Vietnam, and the sole Honorary Member of the Philological Society
Philological Society
The Philological Society, or London Philological Society, is the oldest learned society in Great Britain dedicated to the study of language. The society was established in 1842 to "investigate and promote the study and knowledge of the structure, the affinities, and the history of languages"...
(the oldest professional linguistic society in the world).
He was also the visiting professor at The Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh.Well into his 90s, Emeneau was known to visit the Departments of Linguistics and South and Southeast Asian studies at Berkeley posing interesting and difficult linguistic questions to new generations of students of Indian linguistics.