Drawing on both original texts and critical literature, "Linguistics in a Colonial World "surveys the methods, meanings, and uses of early linguistic projects around the world.
Explores how early endeavours in linguistics were used to aid in overcoming practical and ideological difficulties of colonial rule
Traces the uses and effects of colonial linguistic projects in the shaping of identities and communities that were under, or in opposition to, imperial regimes
Examines enduring influences of colonial linguistics in contemporary thinking about language and cultural difference
Brings new insight into post-colonial controversies including endangered languages and language rights in the globalized twenty-first century

As knowledge of exotic languages became important for colonial power, linguistic scholarship became a crucial contributing element to colonial regimes. Linguistics in a Colonial World draws on both original texts and critical literature to survey the methods, meanings, and uses of linguistics in and for colonial projects over three centuries. By focussing on the shaping effects of linguists' work on identities and communities, this book foregrounds their field's larger meanings and uses for the practical and ideological challenges of colonial rule. Additionally, it traces continuities between colonial and postcolonial politics of culture as they emerge in contemporary controversies over language endangerment and rights in a globalizing 21st century.