Goals in teaching the history of linguistics

Abstract

While once a required part of programs in Linguistics, courses in the history of the field have largely fallen into desuetude. When such courses are offered, they tend to attempt to cover thousands of years of history or a vast range of diverse related fields in a single term. There is perhaps a place for such courses, but I argue here that a rather more limited and focused offering has a particularly important role to play in the education of future linguistic theorists.

Note: A video of the session in which this was presented and the associated slide deck are available in the foreword to this issue.