#OTD 213 years ago, Ivar Aasen (1813–1896) was born 🤩 A Norwegian dialectologist, lexicologist, translator, poet, and playwright, he is best known today for creating Nynorsk, one of the two official written standards of Norwegian, the other being Bokmål. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

#OTD 381 years ago, Anne Dacier (1645–1720) was born 🎉 A classicist, translator, commentator, and editor of numerous ancient works, she is known for her translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and works by Sappho, Marcus Aurelius, and Plutarch. #WomenInLinguistics #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

#OTD 144 years ago, Vilém Mathesius (1882–1945) was born 🎂 An expert on the history of English, a co-founder of the Prague Linguistic Circle, and a pioneer structuralist, he later turned his attention to the study of rhythm and intonation as his eyesight deteriorated. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

New episode 🚨 James McElvenny (@jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social) talks to Peter Austin about his career in field linguists and language documentation in Australia, in particular how the role of Indigenous community members has changed over the past 50 years. 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2026/08/01/p... #Histlx

Podcast episode 62: Peter Austin

In this interview, we talk to Peter Austin about his career in field linguists and the history of language documentation in Australia, in particular how the role of Indigenous community members has…

hiphilangsci.net

#OTD 68 years ago, Anne Vainikka (1958–2018) was born 🎂 She was a pioneer in second language acquisition and a specialist in Finnish syntax and is perhaps best known as the co-author of the Minimal Trees Hypothesis with Martha Young-Scholten. #WomenInLinguistics #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

#OTD 150 years ago, Adeline Rittershaus (1876–1924) was born 🎉 A scholar of Old Germanic languages and a collector of Old Icelandic folk tales, she became the first woman allowed to teach at the University of Zürich’s Faculty of Arts in 1902. #WomenInLinguistics #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

#OTD 183 years ago, Johannes Schmidt (1843–1901) was born 🥳 An expert in comparative Indo-European grammar, he is best known for the Wave Theory, alongside related ideas developed by Hugo Schuchardt, which challenged and complemented the then-dominant family tree model. #Histlx #LinguisticBirthdays

Two episodes of our podcast complement the latest post particularly well: Episode 17 is all about Philipp Wegener and his work, while Episode 57 features Brigitte Nerlich (@bnerlich.bsky.social) 😇 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2021/09/01/p... 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2026/03/15/p... #Histlx

Podcast episode 17: Philipp Wegener and the beginnings of functionalism

In this episode, we take a step back to explore the earliest beginnings of functional linguistics as represented by the work of Philipp Wegener.

hiphilangsci.net

HiPhiLangSci@hiphilangsci.bsky.social · last wk.

Remember Wegener?! Brigitte Nerlich (@bnerlich.bsky.social) certainly does - and she shows why his work remains relevant in the age of Large Language Models. 🔗 hiphilangsci.net/2026/07/26/r... #Histlx

Remember Wegener?! Brigitte Nerlich (@bnerlich.bsky.social) certainly does - and she shows why his work remains relevant in the age of Large Language Models. 🔗 hiphilangsci.net/2026/07/26/r... #Histlx

Remember Wegener?!

Brigitte NerlichUniversity of Nottingham My old book Change in Language: Whitney, Bréal, and Wegener has just come out as an ebook. It was first published in 1990 and has now been reissued in Routl…

hiphilangsci.net

Do you🫵 love social media? The Henry Sweet Society is recruiting a new Social Media/Website Officer to join our committee! This is a volunteer position where you would be tasked with maintaining and growing our social media presence across several platforms. Interested? Learn more👇️ buff.ly/nipkJpP

Social Media Officer position for Henry Sweet Society — Henry Sweet Society

We are recruiting a new Social Media/Website Officer to join the committee. We are particularly keen to hear from younger scholars and postgraduates. The role is a volunteer position that…

henrysweet.org

#OTD 105 years ago, Eugenio Coșeriu (1921–2002) was born 🎉 A major figure in Romance linguistics, general linguistics, and linguistic historiography, he is best known for developing the distinction between diastratic, diatopic, diaphasic, and diachronic variation. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

✨️Martin Burr Grants✨️ We invite applications for grants (max. £500) to support projects in the history of linguistic ideas aimed at: ✅️ non-academic outreach ✅️ field-work ✅️ supporting research by under-represented groups in the history of linguistics Apply by 30 September 2026! buff.ly/eucFmjf

Martin Burr Grants — Henry Sweet Society

Martin Burr Grants

henrysweet.org

Interested in the history of #OldEnglish scholarship? @emgallimore.bsky.social, Thijs Porck and I will be editing a volume on OE in the long 19th century; if you'd like to contribute a chapter, the deadline for abstracts is 1 Sept 2026, first full drafts due Sept 2027. Spread the word! #medievalsky

A fitting opportunity to listen to episode 22, in which we talk to Christopher Hutton (Hong Kong) about linguistic scholarship under National Socialism. 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2022/02/01/p... #Histlx

Podcast episode 22: Interview with Christopher Hutton on linguistics under National Socialism

In this interview, we talk to Christopher Hutton about linguistic scholarship under National Socialism and how this relates to linguistics today.

hiphilangsci.net

Dahlem Center for Linguistics@dclberlin.bsky.social · 2w ago

#OTD 169 years ago, Carl Meinhof (1857–1944) was born. First professor of African linguistics to be appointed in Germany, he was an expert in Bantu languages. In 1933, he joined the NSDAP. His great-niece, Ulrike Meinhof, later became a member of the Red Army Faction. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

FYI: The Philological Society Early Career Event🐣 ECRs are invited to present their work in a day of posters and talks, across a wide range of linguistic research. Event is FREE to attend! When: 16 October 2026 Where: University College London Register by: 12 October 2026 More info👇️

The Philological Society Early Career Event

The Philological Society Early Career Event

philsoc.org.uk

#OTD 103 years ago, Morris Halle (1923–2018) was born 🎉 A pioneer of modern linguistics, he was an expert in generative phonology and a contributor to Distributed Morphology. In 1974, he served as president of the Linguistic Society of America. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

✨️Vivien Law Essay Prize✨️ We invite all students and ECRs to submit an essay on any topic in the history of linguistics. Winning essay receives a prize of £200 and more! Deadline: 30 September 2026. See details here and get your submissions ready👇️ : www.henrysweet.org/vivien-law-p...

The Vivien Law Prize — Henry Sweet Society

The Vivien Law Prize

henrysweet.org

The perfect reason to (re-)listen to epiosode 44 of our podcast, an interview with Ian Stewart (@stewartian.bsky.social) about the Celts and historical-comparative linguistics 😇 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2025/03/01/p... #Histlx

Podcast episode 44: Ian Stewart on the Celts and historical-comparative linguistics

In this interview, we talk to Ian Stewart about modern ideas surrounding the Celts and how these relate to historical-comparative linguistics.

hiphilangsci.net

Dahlem Center for Linguistics@dclberlin.bsky.social · 2w ago

#OTD 220 years ago, Johann Kaspar Zeuß (1806–1856) was born 🥳 An expert on Celtic history and culture, he published Grammatica Celtica (1853) that established Celtic languages as part of the Indo-European family. He is widely regarded as the founder of Celtic philology. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

We have been influenced! "The purpose of our speech is ever to influence the will or the understanding of our interlocutor in such a way as the speaker deems desirable." (1885: 67, translation hiphilangsci) #Histlx #EveryoneShouldReadWegener #LinguisticQuotes

Brigitte Nerlich@bnerlich.bsky.social · 2w ago

Wegener... everyone should read Wegener

Curious about the earliest beginnings of functional linguistics and the work of Philipp Wegener? Episode 17 of our podcast explores exactly that! 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2021/09/01/p... #Histlx

Podcast episode 17: Philipp Wegener and the beginnings of functionalism

In this episode, we take a step back to explore the earliest beginnings of functional linguistics as represented by the work of Philipp Wegener.

hiphilangsci.net

Dahlem Center for Linguistics@dclberlin.bsky.social · 2w ago

#OTD 178 years ago, Philipp Wegener (1848–1916) was born 🤩 Although "just" a high school teacher, he was one of the pioneers of functionalism. While sympathetic to the Neogrammarians, he saw language as a form of action, an instrument of communication shaped by use. #LinguisticBirthdayds #Histlx

#OTD 133 years ago, Gladys Reichard (1893–1955) was born 🎉 An influential anthropologist and expert on Native American languages such as Wiyot, Coeur d'Alene, and Navajo, she was particularly interested in language variation. #WomenInLinguistics #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

#OTD 171 years ago, Odille Morison (1855–1933) was born 🤩 A community leader of the Tsimshian, she was also a translator, ethnographer, and expert on Sm'algyax, the Tsimshian language spoken on the North Coast of British Columbia. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx #WomenInLinguistics

#OTD 253 years ago, Josef Jungmann (1773–1847) was born 🎉 A poet, translator, lexicographer, and key figure of the Czech National Revival, he is best known for his Czech–German dictionary, a milestone in the standardization of written Czech. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

#OTD 197 years ago, Graziadio Isaia Ascoli (1829–1907) was born 🥳 A professor of comparative philology in Milan, he was an expert on Italian dialects, Romani, and Sanskrit. In 1881, he also formulated the so-called substratum theory. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

#OTD 166 years ago, Otto Jespersen (1860–1943) was born 🥳 Initially specializing in language teaching and phonetics, he became an expert on the history of English, also active in the international language movement, contributing to Esperanto, Ido, and his own Novial. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

In the latest episode (no. 61), James McElvenny (@jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social) talks to Adam Schembri (@adamcschembri.bsky.social) about the nature of sign languages, how they have been studied in the past, and how they are studied today. 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2026/07/15/p... #Histlx

Podcast episode 61: Adam Schembri on sign language linguistics

In this interview, we talk to Adam Schembri about the nature of sign languages, how they have been studied in the past, and how they are studied today.

hiphilangsci.net

Martín Cuadrado, C. (2026). Carl Hermann Berendt: «Palabras y modismos de la lengua castellana según se habla en Nicaragua». Peter Lang www.peterlang.com/document/161... #histlx @hiphilangsci.bsky.social

Peter Lang Verlag - Carl Hermann Berendt: «Palabras y modismos de la lengua castellana según se habla en Nicaragua»

La presente edición crítica pretende erigirse como una fuente relevante tanto para la investigación lingüística como para la preservación del ...

peterlang.com

To mark the occasion, have a listen to episode 28 of our podcast, where we explore the innovative contributions of Franz Boas and his circle of students 🥳 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2022/10/01/p... #Histlx

Podcast episode 28: Franz Boas and the Boasians

In this episode, we begin our exploration of American linguistics by looking at the innovative contributions of Franz Boas (1858–1942) and his circle of students.

hiphilangsci.net

Dahlem Center for Linguistics@dclberlin.bsky.social · 4w ago

#OTD 168 years ago, Franz Boas (1858–1942) was born 🎉 He was a pioneer of cultural anthropology and linguistics, as well as an advocate of cultural relativism. His fieldwork focused on the Indigenous languages of the Americas, including Inuit languages and Kwak’wala. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

#OTD 92 years ago, Pieter Seuren (1934–2021) was born 🥳 He was an expert in logic and formal grammar theory, a specialist in Creole studies, notably Sranan and Mauritian Creole, and a historian of linguistics. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

#OTD 186 years ago, August Leskien (1840–1916) was born 🤩 A comparative linguist who specialized in the Baltic and Slavic languages, he was a central figure in the Neogrammarian school. He formulated Leskien's law, which describes the shortening of vowels in Lithuanian. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx