289:, where he served for more than 20 years. He first served as adjunct professor of Teutonic languages, eventually becoming an associate professor. He became chairman of the School of Romance language and in time, chair of a separate German department established at the university. There had been strong German immigration to the state during the mid- and late 19th century. Primer died at his home in Austin on August 13, 1912, survived by his wife and son.
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In Texas, his wife Lula Primer worked at the university after his death, retiring in 1941. She wrote her memoirs in the 1940s, which reflected her life in Texas. She had long been active in the
University Methodist Church, the University Ladies Club, the Austin's Women's Club, and the Travis County
148:. He published language studies in both English and German, and an 1880 work in German was reprinted in 2010. He also published several annotated scholarly editions of important German-language and Spanish-language dramas from the 18th and 19th centuries. He taught for more than 20 years at the
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Primer grew up in western New York state and served with its units in the
American Civil War. After the war, he completed preparatory studies, followed by his undergraduate degree at Harvard University. He did graduate studies in linguistics in Germany, where he received his PhD at the
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of
America in 1887. This pioneering work, "Charleston Provincialisms" (1887), is one of the first attempts by a scholar to describe the speech of an American community. It was published as part of the
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on
December 14, 1842, as the son of Archibald and Eleanor (Jacoby) Primer, Sylvester moved in 1850 as a child with his family to New York. They settled in the western part of the state in
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195:. Afterward Primer completed studies at Leroy (N.Y.) Academy until 1868 and the Phillips Exeter Academy until 1871. He went to college, studying languages at
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Primer's seminal works on
Charleston's unique and vanishing dialect continue to be among the most important scholarly contributions to the subject today.
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386:, 1901/1916 revised edition by Ginn and Company, annotated and edited by Primer, with introduction in English, Internet Archive edition available online
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After completing his graduate work, Primer returned to the United States, teaching first at Brown
University (1880–1881). He taught at the
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in South
Carolina from 1881 to 1890. During this period, he first directed scholarly attention toward the unique dialect of the city of
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known for his pioneering work in 1887 on the dialect of the
European-American residents of
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Primer published annotated scholarly editions of several
European plays, including
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Primer's personal and family papers are held by the
University of Texas at Austin.
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434:, Internet Archive and Early Journal Content on JSTOR, accessed 5 November 2014
374:(original 1788), (1898) annotated edition and introduction in English by Primer
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Element in Charleston's Provincialisms;" it was published in
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His higher education was interrupted by his serving in the
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Die Consonatische Deklination in den germanischen Sprachen
451:"A Guide to the Sylvester Primer Family Papers, 1866–1959"
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Die Consonatische Deklination in den germanischen Sprachen
495:, Kessinger Publishing, 2010 paperback facsimile edition
335:(1880/2010, reissued in paperback, Kessinger Publishing)
199:, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1874 and was
309:"The Pronunciation Near Fredericksburg, Va.", in the
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Proceedings of the American Philological Association
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302:"The Pronunciation of Fredericksburg, Va.", in
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464:"Dr. Sylvester Primer, Valued Citizen, Dies"
285:In 1891, Primer joined the faculty of the
229:105th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry
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352:(1767), (1889) edited and notes by Primer
140:(1842–1912) was an American linguist and
267:, vol. i, 1888, p. 227; and in the
188:. He attended local schools as a child.
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379:Guzman el Bueno. Drama en Cuatro Actos
547:University of Texas at Austin faculty
215:, where he received his PhD in 1880.
172:before joining the faculty in Texas.
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432:"Charleston Provincialisms" (1887)
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552:Linguists from the United States
304:Pub. Modern Language Association
527:University of Strasbourg alumni
282:, vol. iii, 1891, p. 139.
255:in a paper he delivered at the
532:University of Göttingen alumni
271:, IX (1888), p. 198–213.
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557:People from Geneva, Wisconsin
328:He also published in German:
287:University of Texas at Austin
269:American Journal of Philology
150:University of Texas at Austin
114:University of Texas at Austin
472:. August 14, 1912. p. 4
362:(1894), ed. Sylvester Primer
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227:, first in Company E of the
480:– via Newspapers.com.
257:Modern Language Association
243:Academic career as linguist
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366:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
146:Charleston, South Carolina
537:Leipzig University alumni
522:Harvard University alumni
469:Austin American-Statesman
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562:Brown University faculty
542:Colorado College faculty
420:Handbook of Texas Online
344:Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
322:Colorado College Studies
316:"Dialectical Studies in
233:Genesee County, New York
176:Early life and education
158:University of Strasbourg
93:University of Strasbourg
274:Primer also wrote "The
164:, then a decade at the
355:Gotthold E. Lessing,
249:College of Charleston
223:Primer served in the
166:College of Charleston
160:. He taught first at
105:Linguist, philologist
384:Antonio Gil y Zárate
416:"Primer, Sylvester"
280:Phonetische Studien
265:Phonetische Studien
349:Minna von Barnhelm
293:Council of Women.
225:American Civil War
197:Harvard University
193:American Civil War
88:Harvard University
182:Geneva, Wisconsin
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67:(1912-08-13)
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517:1912 deaths
512:1842 births
142:philologist
123:Lula Primer
56:, Wisconsin
506:Categories
402:References
253:Charleston
213:Strasbourg
46:1842-12-14
219:Civil War
209:Göttingen
81:Education
476:July 23,
276:Huguenot
237:Antietam
180:Born in
128:Children
110:Employer
205:Leipzig
75:, Texas
394:Legacy
382:, Don
371:Egmont
324:(1891)
211:, and
120:Spouse
73:Austin
54:Geneva
297:Works
231:from
478:2020
62:Died
40:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
