Origins & Early Life

Dell Hathaway Hymes (June 7, 1927, in Portland, Oregon – November 13, 2009, in Charlottesville, Virginia) was a linguist, sociolinguist, anthropologist, and folklorist who established disciplinary foundations for the comparative, ethnographic study of language use. His research focused upon the languages of the Pacific Northwest. He was one of the first to call the fourth subfield of anthropology "linguistic anthropology" instead of "anthropological linguistics". The terminological shift draws attention to the field's grounding in anthropology rather than in what, by that time, had already become an autonomous discipline (linguistics).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 1972 Hymes founded the journal Language in Society and served as its editor for 22 years. He was educated at Reed College, studying under David H. French; and after a stint in prewar Korea, he graduated in 1950. His work in the United States Army as a decoder is part of what influenced him to become a linguist. Hymes earned his PhD in linguistics from Indiana University Bloomington in 1955.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

As a young Ph.D. graduate, Hymes carefully analyzed a corpus, within the publication by Melville Jacobs of the songs and stories...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad — Contemporary (Born in 1927) (1927): Renowned Egyptian Quran reciter, celebrated for his melodious and deeply engaging vocal style.
• Al Martino — Contemporary (Born in 1927) (1927): Iconic Italian-American crooner, celebrated for standards and his role in The Godfather.
• Althea Gibson — Contemporary (Born in 1927) (1927): Pioneering American tennis and golf star who broke racial barriers in sports.
• Aage Bohr — Contemporary (Died in 2009) (2009): Pioneering Danish nuclear physicist, Nobel laureate for atomic structure theory.
• Ali Akbar Khan — Contemporary (Died in 2009) (2009): Master sarod virtuoso who popularized Hindustani classical music in the West.
• Andrew Wyeth — Contemporary (Died in 2009) (2009): Master American Realist Painter known for regional scenes of Pennsylvania and Maine.
• Al-Nasir Muhammad — Shared historical date (06-07 · Died) (1341): Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, known for his extensive, though turbulent, rule across several decades.
• Alan Turing — Shared historical date (06-07 · Died) (1954): Father of theoretical computer science, known for the Turing machine and codebreaking.
• Alexander Grothendieck — Shared historical date (11-13 · Died) (2014): Pioneering figure in modern algebraic geometry and category theory.
• Alexander Suvorov — Shared historical date (11-13 · Born) (1730): Brilliant Russian general whose victories defined military prowess in the late 18th century.
• 1927 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1927
• June 7 (06-07) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on June 7
• 2009 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2009
• November 13 (11-13) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on November 13