Einar Haugen
Encyclopedia
Einar Ingvald Haugen was an American linguist
, author and Professor
at University of Wisconsin–Madison
and Harvard University
.
to Norwegians from the town of Oppdal
in Norway
. When he was a young child, the family moved back to Oppdal for a few years, but then returned to the United States
. He attended Morningside College
in Sioux City but transferred to St. Olaf College
to study with Ole Edvart Rølvaag
. He earned his B.A. in 1928 and immediately went on to graduate studies in linguistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, where he was awarded his Ph.D.
in 1931.
In 1931 Haugen joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, where he stayed until 1962. He was made Victor S. Thomas Professor of Scandinavian and Linguistics at Harvard University
in 1964, and stayed here until his retirement in 1975. Haugen served as president of the Linguistic Society of America
, the American Dialect Society
, and the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
. Haugen was also a member of the Board of Editors of the Norwegian-American Historical Association
.
Haugen is credited for having pioneered the field of sociolinguistics
and being a leading scholar within the field of Norwegian-American studies, including Old Norse
studies. Perhaps his most important work was The Norwegian language in America; A study in bilingual behavior (ISBN 0-253-34115-9). In addition to several important works within these fields, he wrote the authoritative work on the dialect of his ancestral home of Oppdal and a book entitled The Ecology of Language, with which he pioneered a new field of linguistics later called Ecolinguistics
.
Einar Haugen also wrote Norwegian American Dictionary/Norsk engelsk ordbok (ISBN 0-299-03874-2).
His last book was a biography of Norwegian virtuoso violinist Ole Bull
co-written with his daughter, Camilla Cai.
. Additionally, the Boston Chapter of the American-Scandinavian Foundation voted to establish the Einar and Eva Haugen Prize. The prize is awarded annually to an undergraduate or graduate student for excellence in the field of Scandinavian languages and literature at Harvard University.
The History of the Norwegian-American People (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. 1999)
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, author and Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Biography
Haugen was born in Sioux City, IowaSioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
to Norwegians from the town of Oppdal
Oppdal
is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Dovre region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppdal. Other villages in the municipality include Lønset, Vognillan, Fagerhaug, and Holan...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. When he was a young child, the family moved back to Oppdal for a few years, but then returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He attended Morningside College
Morningside College
Morningside College is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside College is a private, four-year, co-educational liberal arts institution. Morningside has 21 buildings on a ...
in Sioux City but transferred to St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
to study with Ole Edvart Rølvaag
Ole Edvart Rølvaag
Ole Edvart Rølvaag was an American novelist and professor who became well known for his writings regarding the Norwegian American immigrant experience...
. He earned his B.A. in 1928 and immediately went on to graduate studies in linguistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, where he was awarded his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1931.
In 1931 Haugen joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, where he stayed until 1962. He was made Victor S. Thomas Professor of Scandinavian and Linguistics at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1964, and stayed here until his retirement in 1975. Haugen served as president of the Linguistic Society of America
Linguistic Society of America
The Linguistic Society of America is a professional society for linguists. It was founded in 1924 to advance linguistics, the scientific study of human language. The LSA has over 5,000 individual members and welcomes linguists of all kinds. It works to advance the discipline and to communicate...
, the American Dialect Society
American Dialect Society
The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society publishes the academic journal, American Speech...
, and the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study is a non-profit membership society with 400 members aiming to advance the study, teaching and research in America of the languages, literature, history, culture and society of the Scandinavian or Nordic countries and to foster closer relationships...
. Haugen was also a member of the Board of Editors of the Norwegian-American Historical Association
Norwegian-American Historical Association
Norwegian-American Historical Association publishes scholarly books, documenting research and interpretations of the American experience of immigrant Norwegians....
.
Haugen is credited for having pioneered the field of sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is the descriptive study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society...
and being a leading scholar within the field of Norwegian-American studies, including Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
studies. Perhaps his most important work was The Norwegian language in America; A study in bilingual behavior (ISBN 0-253-34115-9). In addition to several important works within these fields, he wrote the authoritative work on the dialect of his ancestral home of Oppdal and a book entitled The Ecology of Language, with which he pioneered a new field of linguistics later called Ecolinguistics
Ecolinguistics
Ecolinguistics emerged in the 1990’s as a new paradigm of linguistic research which took into account not only the social context in which language is embedded, but also the ecological context in which societies are embedded...
.
Einar Haugen also wrote Norwegian American Dictionary/Norsk engelsk ordbok (ISBN 0-299-03874-2).
His last book was a biography of Norwegian virtuoso violinist Ole Bull
Ole Bull
Ole Bornemann Bull was a Norwegian violinist and composer.-Background:Bull was born in Bergen. He was the eldest of ten children of Johan Storm Bull and Anna Dorothea Borse Geelmuyden . His brother, Georg Andreas Bull became a noted Norwegian architect...
co-written with his daughter, Camilla Cai.
Memorials
The Einar and Eva Lund Haugen Memorial Scholarship has been established by the Norwegian-American Historical Association to honor Einar Haugen and his wife Eva Lund HaugenEva Lund Haugen
Eva Lund Haugen was an American author and editor. Haugen was born in Kongsvinger, in Hedmark county, Norway. Haugen was twelve years old when her journalist parents emigrated in 1919. They settled in Decorah, Iowa, where both parents worked for the Norwegian-American newspaper, Decorah-Posten...
. Additionally, the Boston Chapter of the American-Scandinavian Foundation voted to establish the Einar and Eva Haugen Prize. The prize is awarded annually to an undergraduate or graduate student for excellence in the field of Scandinavian languages and literature at Harvard University.
Selected bibliography
- Voyages To Vinland: The First American Saga (1942)
- Spoken Norwegian (1946)
- The Norwegian Language in America: A Study in Bilingual Behavior (1953)
- Bilingualism in the Americas (1956)
- Language Conflict and Language Planning: The Case of Modern Norwegian (1966)
- Studies by Einar Haugen: Presented on the occasion of his 65th birthday ( 1971)
- The Ecology of Language; Language science and national development (1972)
- Norwegian-English Dictionary: A Pronouncing and Translating Dictionary of Modern Norwegian (1974)
- The Scandinavian Languages: An Introduction to their History (1976)
- Bibliography of Scandinavian Languages and Linguistics 1900-70 (1974)
- Scandinavian Language Structures (1982)
- Immigrant Idealist: A Literary Biography of Waldemar Ager, Norwegian American (1989)
- Ole Bull: Norway's romantic musician and cosmopolitan patriot (1993)
Other Reading
Lovoll, Odd S.Odd S. Lovoll
-Background:Odd Sverre Lovoll was born in Sande, in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He immigrated to the United States in 1946 and is a naturalized United States citizen. Lovoll received his education both in Norway and in the United States, passing university exams at the University of Bergen in 1961 and...
The History of the Norwegian-American People (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. 1999)