472:, as they showed very limited vocabulary and poor grammar in the foreign language. Thomason also noticed that the speech produced was many times limited to a repetition of some phrases or short answers, and it sometimes included words in a different language than the one subjects claimed to be able to speak. Thomason argues that the structure of the experiment allowed for the subjects to be able to guess the meaning of some of the questions by the hypnotists. She concludes that none of the individuals studied by Stevenson could prove xenoglossy, and that their knowledge of the foreign language could be explained by a combination of natural means such as exposure to the language, use of
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language change can only produce minor changes to a language, and, on the other, that an individual on his or her own is not able to produce language change. While she admits that the permanence of the change is dependent on social and linguistic probability, she emphasizes these factors do not invalidate the possibility of permanent change occurring. Thomason argues that under a situation of language contact bilingual speakers can adapt loanwords to their language structure, and that speakers are also capable of rejecting changes to the structure of their language. Both of these cases show conscious and deliberate actions from the part of the speakers to change their language.
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373:. Thomason would spend a year in this region writing her dissertation project on noun suffixation in Serbo-Croatian dialectology. Thomason would not, however, continue focusing on either Slavic or on Indo-European languages. Instead, Thomason's career's focus shifted in 1974, when she encountered literature about
421:, or Salish-Pend d'Oreille language, talking with its last fluent speakers with the objective of documenting the language, as well as creating a dictionary for the Salish and Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee language program, compiling a dictionary and materials for the Salish-Pend d'Oreille language program.
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Sarah
Thomason believes language change could be a product of deliberate action driven by its speakers, who may consciously create dramatic changes in their language, if strong motivation is present. This view challenges the current assumption in historical linguistics that, on one hand, deliberate
468:. Sarah Thomason, however, analyzed those cases and concluded that the subjects did not show real knowledge of the foreign language they said they were able to speak. Thomason pointed out that the performance of the individuals was by far not to the standards of that of a
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program. She would later turn down this fellowship. Thomason decided to dedicate herself to linguistics and, after spending a year in
Germany mastering the language, she was re-awarded the Fellowship and was admitted into
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in 1961. While studying this B.A., she had the opportunity to study a course in linguistics. This course would eventually lead her to do her application for graduation work in linguistics, when she was nominated for the
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Distinguished
University Professor of Linguistics in 2016. She was also Chair of the Department of Linguistics from 2010 to 2013.
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in 1999, and received the highest honor granted by the
University of Michigan to its faculty by being named the
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Thomason is a prolific contributor to academic journals and publications specializing in the field of
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languages had been already thoroughly studied and the literature was vast. She traveled to the former
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in 1968 in linguistics. She taught Slavic
Linguistics at Yale from 1968 to 1971, before moving to the
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Do you remember your previous life's language in your present incarnation?
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444:. Thomason has examined, among others, the cases presented by author
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Thomason had a great interest on learning how to do fieldwork about
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and to be able to speak in a foreign language when they were under
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Sarah
Thomason is also known for her contributions to the study of
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Society for the Study of the
Indigenous Languages of the Americas
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has been reprinted in different publications and translated into
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at the
University of Michigan. She is best known for her work on
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from a professional point of view as a linguist. Her article
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in 1996, and
Secretary of the section from 2001 to 2005.
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Language contact, creolization, and genetic linguistics
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languages, specifically pidgin
Delaware, derived from
892:"LSA Fellows By Name | Linguistic Society of America"
271:, and has collaborated with publications such as the
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Sarah Thomason has also criticized alleged cases of
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American Association for the Advancement of Science
267:. She also has an interest in debunking linguistic
545:She is married to philosopher/computer scientist
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353:. She decided that Indo-European languages from
533:, as well as part of the advisory board of the
369:, with the intention of focusing her career on
527:She is currently an associate editor for the
454:Unlearned Language: New Studies in Xenoglossy
315:Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
227:(known as "Sally") is an American scholar of
1113:Fellows of the Linguistic Society of America
916:"Presidents | Linguistic Society of America"
574:. Berkeley: University of California Press.
413:. She would later become very interested on
338:Collegiate Professor of Linguistics at the
145:Noun suffixation in Serbo-Croatian dialects
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769:10.1146/annurev-linguistics-032620-045855
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752:"How I Got Here and Where I'm Going Next"
450:Xenoglossy: A Review and Report of A Case
1098:Linguistic Society of America presidents
792:"Language Contact and Deliberate Change"
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739:University of Michigan faculty directory
715:"Sarah Thomason, University of Michigan"
498:From 1988 to 1994 she was the editor of
476:, and guesses, amongst other resources.
1013:Thomason, Sarah and Veronica Grondona,
819:"Curriculum Vitae of Sarah G. Thomason"
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808:
750:Thomason, Sarah G. (14 January 2022).
643:"Sarah Thomason | U-M LSA Linguistics"
1015:Endangered Languages: An Introduction
995:, Georgetown University Press, 2001,
594:Endangered Languages: An Introduction
365:and started preparing her project on
357:would be best suited for research as
1018:. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
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589:. Georgetown University Press, 2001.
385:was crucial for an understanding of
940:"Journal of Historical Linguistics"
596:. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
553:. Her mother was the ichthyologist
516:. In 2000 she was President of the
506:Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
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991:Language Contact: An Introduction"
279:The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal
19:For the Swedish alpine skier, see
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944:John Benjamins Publishing Company
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587:Language contact: an introduction
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549:and is the mother of linguist
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965:"Journal of Language Contact"
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756:Annual Review of Linguistics
585:Thomason, Sarah G. (2001).
512:, and in 2009 she served as
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682:"Sarah Thomason's Brief CV"
592:Thomason, Sarah G. (2015).
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535:Journal of Language Contact
334:in 1972. She was named the
51:1939 (age 84–85)
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1083:Stanford University alumni
1038:Sarah Thomason's home page
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304:Sarah Thomason received a
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1073:Critics of parapsychology
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332:University of Pittsburgh
185:University of Pittsburgh
566:Thomason, Sarah G. and
448:. In Stevenson's works
351:Indo-European languages
1088:Yale University alumni
604:The Skeptical Inquirer
340:University of Michigan
265:typological universals
245:historical linguistics
190:University of Michigan
623:Duke University Press
504:, the journal of the
42:Thomason in July 2012
1058:Historical linguists
555:Marion Griswold Grey
514:President of the LSA
381:. She realized that
71:Marion Griswold Grey
310:Stanford University
225:Sarah Grey Thomason
106:Stanford University
92:Academic background
30:Sarah Grey Thomason
479:She is one of the
415:Salishan languages
407:Delaware languages
274:Skeptical Inquirer
257:Slavic Linguistics
157:Alexander Schenker
82:Wilbur Cross Medal
1068:American skeptics
989:Thomason, Sarah,
719:The Linguist List
547:Richmond Thomason
510:Fellow of the LSA
336:William J. Gedney
237:professor emerita
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208:www-personal
178:Institutions
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925:2022-12-31
901:2022-12-31
851:12 October
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652:2022-12-31
630:References
483:bloggers.
458:past lives
430:xenoglossy
363:Yugoslavia
289:xenoglossy
214:/~thomason
168:Discipline
98:Alma mater
974:3 October
949:3 October
876:3 October
778:2333-9683
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690:3 October
570:(1988).
541:Personal
501:Language
474:cognates
462:hypnosis
172:Linguist
73:(mother)
59:Illinois
55:Evanston
867:"About"
379:creoles
375:pidgins
253:creoles
249:pidgins
203:Website
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487:Honors
452:, and
442:German
438:French
409:, and
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295:Career
210:.umich
139:Thesis
78:Awards
67:Parent
61:, U.S.
969:Brill
846:(PDF)
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328:Ph.D.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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