Thomas Givón
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| Talmy "Tom" Givón | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 22, 1936 Afula, Israel |
| Occupation | Linguist |
Talmy "Tom" Givón (born 1936) is is a linguist and educator and one of the founders of functionalism in linguistics. He also founded the linguistics department at the University of Oregon based on his functionalist approach to the subject.
He is currently Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and Cognitive Science at the University of Oregon.
Givón is also notable for coining the aphorism that "Today's morphology is yesterday's syntax".
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[edit] Biography
His work covers many language areas (Semitic, African, Amerindian, Austronesian, Papuan, Sino-Tibetan, Indo-European), as well as many areas of theoretical linguistics (syntax, semantics, pragmatics, second language acquisition, pidgins & creoles, discourse & text linguistics, methodology & philosophy of science, philosophy of language, typology & language universals, grammaticalization & historical syntax, cognitive science, language evolution).
[edit] Education
Givón earned his bachelor of science cum laude from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1959. Attending UCLA, he received a master of science degree in horticulture in 1962, a C.Phil in Plant Biochemistry in 1963. He also received two linguistics degrees from UCLA: a master of arts in 1966, and a PhD in 1969. Givón also received a TESL certificate in 1965 from UCLA.
[edit] Experience
Givón started his professional career in 1966 with an appointment as a research assistant in Mathematical Linguistics at the Center for Research in Languages & Linguistics, UCLA and was a research associate working on the Lexicography Project at System Development Corporation in Santa Monica, CA.
[edit] Bibliography
Givón's published books include:
- The Travels of Benjamins Adam, (a novel; 1966)
- Studies in Chi-Bemba and Bantu Grammar, (1973)
- On Understanding Grammar, (1979)
- Ute Dictionary, (1979)
- Ute Reference Grammar, (1980)
- Topic Continuity in Discourse, (1983)
- Syntax: A Functional-Typological Introduction, (vol. I, 1984; vol. II 1990)
- Ute Traditional Narratives, (1985)
- Mind, Code, and Context: Essays in Pragmatics, (1989)
- English Grammar, (2 vols; 1993)
- Functionalism and Grammar, (1995)
- Running Through the Tall Grass, (a novel; 1997)
- Syntax: An Introduction, (2 vols, 2001)
- Bio-Linguistics, (2002)
- Context as Other Minds, (2005)
Givón's current linguistic project is The Genesis of Complex Syntax: Diachrony, Ontogeny, Cognition, Evolution. His current literary projects include the yet-to-be-published novels Seadock, Sasquatch and Downfall of a Jesuit.
[edit] Personal life
Givón raises horses on a ranch on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation near Ignacio, Colorado.
He plays lead fiddle in The Cat Creek Band (Ol' Time, Blues, Country, Ragtime).
He can be reached via e-mail at tgivon at uoregon.edu.
