483:, 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
436:
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.
49:
384:. 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
432:, 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.
435:
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
479:. 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
328:
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
323:
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
528:
1123:
532:
1108:
524:
325:
520:
1103:
1063:
1073:
1093:
1083:
1113:
1034:
1011:
590:
357:
Distinguished
University Professor of Linguistics in 2016. She was also Chair of the Department of Linguistics from 2010 to 2013.
1098:
618:
1068:
516:
475:. In Stevenson's opinion, their ability to speak a foreign language without having been exposed to it could be proof of
540:
1023:
506:, as well as a guest lecturer at different universities around the world and a speaker at international conferences.
999:
653:
1078:
409:
271:
353:
in 1999, and received the highest honor granted by the
University of Michigan to its faculty by being named the
354:
342:
243:
195:
361:
428:, a field that she has been studying for over thirty years. She has spent every summer since 1980 studying
1088:
614:
350:
255:
200:
633:
557:
975:
502:
Thomason is a prolific contributor to academic journals and publications specializing in the field of
372:
languages had been already thoroughly studied and the literature was vast. She traveled to the former
341:
in 1968 in linguistics. She taught Slavic
Linguistics at Yale from 1968 to 1971, before moving to the
1118:
565:
338:
275:
154:
137:
81:
561:
320:
116:
400:. Since then, Thomason has dedicated the vast majority of her work to language contact phenomena.
511:
425:
417:
284:
267:
167:
92:
65:
926:
519:. In 1999 she was the Collitz Professor at the LSA summer institute. In 2006 she was elected a
1030:
1007:
784:
779:
762:
586:
346:
247:
902:
853:
774:
578:
393:
369:
316:
263:
251:
121:
802:
629:
452:
448:
397:
389:
330:
294:
128:
31:
829:
480:
429:
421:
381:
377:
365:
334:
133:
48:
1057:
692:
476:
456:
279:
950:
725:
491:
877:
749:
503:
467:, he presents the case studies of subjects who claimed to remember having lived
239:
468:
440:
373:
299:
108:
17:
788:
531:. She was also Chair of the Linguistics and Language Sciences section of the
1048:
218:
626:
Do you remember your previous life's language in your present incarnation?
484:
472:
182:
69:
455:. Thomason has examined, among others, the cases presented by author
413:
412:. Thomason's interest in these languages started with her studies on
385:
259:
149:
360:
Thomason had a great interest on learning how to do fieldwork about
471:
and to be able to speak in a foreign language when they were under
408:
Sarah
Thomason is also known for her contributions to the study of
529:
Society for the Study of the
Indigenous Languages of the Americas
447:
has been reprinted in different publications and translated into
250:
at the
University of Michigan. She is best known for her work on
443:
from a professional point of view as a linguist. Her article
535:
in 1996, and
Secretary of the section from 2001 to 2005.
583:
Language contact, creolization, and genetic linguistics
416:
languages, specifically pidgin
Delaware, derived from
903:"LSA Fellows By Name | Linguistic Society of America"
282:, and has collaborated with publications such as the
439:
Sarah Thomason has also criticized alleged cases of
720:
718:
716:
714:
712:
533:
American Association for the Advancement of Science
278:. She also has an interest in debunking linguistic
213:
188:
178:
173:
163:
148:
107:
102:
88:
77:
58:
39:
556:She is married to philosopher/computer scientist
364:. She decided that Indo-European languages from
544:, as well as part of the advisory board of the
380:, with the intention of focusing her career on
538:She is currently an associate editor for the
465:Unlearned Language: New Studies in Xenoglossy
326:Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
238:(known as "Sally") is an American scholar of
8:
1124:Fellows of the Linguistic Society of America
927:"Presidents | Linguistic Society of America"
585:. Berkeley: University of California Press.
424:. She would later become very interested on
349:Collegiate Professor of Linguistics at the
156:Noun suffixation in Serbo-Croatian dialects
47:
36:
824:
822:
780:10.1146/annurev-linguistics-032620-045855
778:
763:"How I Got Here and Where I'm Going Next"
461:Xenoglossy: A Review and Report of A Case
1109:Linguistic Society of America presidents
803:"Language Contact and Deliberate Change"
750:University of Michigan faculty directory
726:"Sarah Thomason, University of Michigan"
509:From 1988 to 1994 she was the editor of
487:, and guesses, amongst other resources.
1024:Thomason, Sarah and Veronica Grondona,
830:"Curriculum Vitae of Sarah G. Thomason"
645:
761:Thomason, Sarah G. (14 January 2022).
654:"Sarah Thomason | U-M LSA Linguistics"
1026:Endangered Languages: An Introduction
1006:, Georgetown University Press, 2001,
605:Endangered Languages: An Introduction
376:and started preparing her project on
368:would be best suited for research as
7:
1029:. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
687:
685:
683:
681:
679:
677:
675:
673:
600:. Georgetown University Press, 2001.
396:was crucial for an understanding of
951:"Journal of Historical Linguistics"
607:. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
564:. Her mother was the ichthyologist
527:. In 2000 she was President of the
517:Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
1002:Language Contact: An Introduction"
290:The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal
30:For the Swedish alpine skier, see
25:
955:John Benjamins Publishing Company
598:Language contact: an introduction
541:Journal of Historical Linguistics
1104:University of Pittsburgh faculty
1064:Linguists from the United States
619:Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
27:American scholar of linguistics
1074:University of Michigan faculty
560:and is the mother of linguist
333:, where she completed both an
1:
976:"Journal of Language Contact"
767:Annual Review of Linguistics
596:Thomason, Sarah G. (2001).
523:, and in 2009 she served as
693:"Sarah Thomason's Brief CV"
603:Thomason, Sarah G. (2015).
546:Journal of Language Contact
345:in 1972. She was named the
62:1939 (age 84–85)
1140:
1094:Stanford University alumni
1049:Sarah Thomason's home page
624:Thomason, Sarah G. (1984)
610:Thomason, Sarah G. (1987)
315:Sarah Thomason received a
29:
1084:Critics of parapsychology
931:www.linguisticsociety.org
907:www.linguisticsociety.org
410:Native American languages
298:, in regard to claims of
272:Native American languages
209:
98:
46:
1114:American women linguists
612:Past tongues remembered?
445:Past tongues remembered?
343:University of Pittsburgh
196:University of Pittsburgh
577:Thomason, Sarah G. and
459:. In Stevenson's works
362:Indo-European languages
1099:Yale University alumni
615:The Skeptical Inquirer
351:University of Michigan
276:typological universals
256:historical linguistics
201:University of Michigan
634:Duke University Press
515:, the journal of the
53:Thomason in July 2012
1069:Historical linguists
566:Marion Griswold Grey
525:President of the LSA
392:. She realized that
82:Marion Griswold Grey
321:Stanford University
236:Sarah Grey Thomason
117:Stanford University
103:Academic background
41:Sarah Grey Thomason
490:She is one of the
426:Salishan languages
418:Delaware languages
285:Skeptical Inquirer
268:Slavic Linguistics
168:Alexander Schenker
93:Wilbur Cross Medal
1079:American skeptics
1000:Thomason, Sarah,
730:The Linguist List
558:Richmond Thomason
521:Fellow of the LSA
347:William J. Gedney
248:professor emerita
233:
232:
16:(Redirected from
1131:
1037:
1021:
1015:
997:
991:
990:
988:
986:
972:
966:
965:
963:
961:
947:
941:
940:
938:
937:
923:
917:
916:
914:
913:
899:
893:
892:
890:
888:
874:
868:
867:
865:
863:
858:
850:
844:
843:
841:
839:
834:
826:
817:
816:
814:
812:
807:
799:
793:
792:
782:
758:
752:
747:
741:
740:
738:
736:
722:
707:
706:
704:
702:
697:
689:
668:
667:
665:
664:
650:
579:Terrence Kaufman
394:language contact
370:Western European
252:language contact
229:
226:
224:
222:
220:
164:Doctoral advisor
141:
125:
51:
37:
21:
1139:
1138:
1134:
1133:
1132:
1130:
1129:
1128:
1054:
1053:
1045:
1040:
1022:
1018:
998:
994:
984:
982:
974:
973:
969:
959:
957:
949:
948:
944:
935:
933:
925:
924:
920:
911:
909:
901:
900:
896:
886:
884:
876:
875:
871:
861:
859:
856:
852:
851:
847:
837:
835:
832:
828:
827:
820:
810:
808:
805:
801:
800:
796:
760:
759:
755:
748:
744:
734:
732:
724:
723:
710:
700:
698:
695:
691:
690:
671:
662:
660:
652:
651:
647:
643:
630:American Speech
574:
554:
500:
406:
398:language change
331:Yale University
319:in German from
313:
308:
295:American Speech
217:
205:
144:
131:
129:Yale University
119:
73:
63:
54:
42:
35:
32:Sarah Thomasson
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
1137:
1135:
1127:
1126:
1121:
1116:
1111:
1106:
1101:
1096:
1091:
1086:
1081:
1076:
1071:
1066:
1056:
1055:
1052:
1051:
1044:
1043:External links
1041:
1039:
1038:
1016:
992:
967:
942:
918:
894:
869:
845:
818:
794:
753:
742:
708:
669:
644:
642:
639:
638:
637:
622:
608:
601:
594:
573:
570:
553:
550:
499:
496:
481:native speaker
430:Montana Salish
422:Chinook jargon
405:
402:
382:Slavic studies
378:Serbo-Croatian
366:Eastern Europe
337:in 1965 and a
312:
309:
307:
304:
246:distinguished
231:
230:
215:
211:
210:
207:
206:
204:
203:
198:
192:
190:
186:
185:
180:
176:
175:
171:
170:
165:
161:
160:
152:
146:
145:
143:
142:
126:
113:
111:
105:
104:
100:
99:
96:
95:
90:
86:
85:
79:
75:
74:
64:
60:
56:
55:
52:
44:
43:
40:
26:
24:
18:Sally Thomason
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1136:
1125:
1122:
1120:
1117:
1115:
1112:
1110:
1107:
1105:
1102:
1100:
1097:
1095:
1092:
1090:
1089:Living people
1087:
1085:
1082:
1080:
1077:
1075:
1072:
1070:
1067:
1065:
1062:
1061:
1059:
1050:
1047:
1046:
1042:
1036:
1035:9780521865739
1032:
1028:
1027:
1020:
1017:
1014:
1013:
1012:0-87840-854-1
1009:
1004:
1003:
996:
993:
981:
977:
971:
968:
956:
952:
946:
943:
932:
928:
922:
919:
908:
904:
898:
895:
883:
879:
873:
870:
855:
849:
846:
831:
825:
823:
819:
804:
798:
795:
790:
786:
781:
776:
772:
768:
764:
757:
754:
751:
746:
743:
731:
727:
721:
719:
717:
715:
713:
709:
694:
688:
686:
684:
682:
680:
678:
676:
674:
670:
659:
658:lsa.umich.edu
655:
649:
646:
640:
636:. 59:340-350.
635:
631:
627:
623:
620:
616:
613:
609:
606:
602:
599:
595:
592:
591:0-520-07893-4
588:
584:
580:
576:
575:
571:
569:
567:
563:
562:Lucy Thomason
559:
551:
549:
547:
543:
542:
536:
534:
530:
526:
522:
518:
514:
513:
507:
505:
497:
495:
493:
488:
486:
482:
478:
477:reincarnation
474:
470:
466:
462:
458:
457:Ian Stevenson
454:
450:
446:
442:
437:
433:
431:
427:
423:
419:
415:
411:
403:
401:
399:
395:
391:
387:
383:
379:
375:
371:
367:
363:
358:
356:
355:Bernard Bloch
352:
348:
344:
340:
336:
332:
327:
322:
318:
310:
305:
303:
301:
297:
296:
291:
287:
286:
281:
280:pseudoscience
277:
273:
269:
265:
261:
257:
253:
249:
245:
244:Bernard Bloch
241:
237:
228:
216:
212:
208:
202:
199:
197:
194:
193:
191:
187:
184:
181:
177:
174:Academic work
172:
169:
166:
162:
158:
157:
153:
151:
147:
139:
135:
130:
127:
123:
118:
115:
114:
112:
110:
106:
101:
97:
94:
91:
87:
83:
80:
76:
71:
67:
61:
57:
50:
45:
38:
33:
19:
1025:
1019:
1005:
1001:
995:
983:. Retrieved
979:
970:
958:. Retrieved
954:
945:
934:. Retrieved
930:
921:
910:. Retrieved
906:
897:
885:. Retrieved
882:Language Log
881:
872:
860:. Retrieved
854:"Xenoglossy"
848:
836:. Retrieved
809:. Retrieved
797:
770:
766:
756:
745:
733:. Retrieved
729:
699:. Retrieved
661:. Retrieved
657:
648:
625:
611:
604:
597:
582:
572:Bibliography
555:
545:
539:
537:
510:
508:
501:
492:Language Log
489:
464:
460:
444:
438:
434:
407:
404:Current Work
359:
314:
311:Early career
293:
289:
283:
235:
234:
219:www-personal
189:Institutions
159: (1968)
155:
1119:1939 births
773:(1): 1–17.
621:. 11:367-75
504:linguistics
240:linguistics
1058:Categories
936:2022-12-31
912:2022-12-31
862:12 October
838:13 October
811:12 October
663:2022-12-31
641:References
494:bloggers.
469:past lives
441:xenoglossy
374:Yugoslavia
300:xenoglossy
225:/~thomason
179:Discipline
109:Alma mater
985:3 October
960:3 October
887:3 October
789:2333-9683
735:3 October
701:3 October
581:(1988).
552:Personal
512:Language
485:cognates
473:hypnosis
183:Linguist
84:(mother)
70:Illinois
66:Evanston
878:"About"
390:creoles
386:pidgins
264:creoles
260:pidgins
214:Website
1033:
1010:
787:
589:
498:Honors
463:, and
453:German
449:French
420:, and
414:pidgin
306:Career
221:.umich
150:Thesis
89:Awards
78:Parent
72:, U.S.
980:Brill
857:(PDF)
833:(PDF)
806:(PDF)
696:(PDF)
339:Ph.D.
1031:ISBN
1008:ISBN
987:2014
962:2014
889:2014
864:2014
840:2014
813:2014
785:ISSN
737:2014
703:2014
587:ISBN
451:and
388:and
335:M.A.
317:B.A.
292:and
274:and
262:and
223:.edu
59:Born
775:doi
138:PhD
1060::
978:.
953:.
929:.
905:.
880:.
821:^
783:.
769:.
765:.
728:.
711:^
672:^
656:.
632:.
628:.
617:.
568:.
548:.
302:.
288:,
270:,
266:,
258:,
254:,
242:,
136:,
134:MA
122:BA
68:,
989:.
964:.
939:.
915:.
891:.
866:.
842:.
815:.
791:.
777::
771:8
739:.
705:.
666:.
593:.
227:/
140:)
132:(
124:)
120:(
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
