James Bradstreet Greenough
Encyclopedia
James Bradstreet Greenough (May 4, 1833 - October 11, 1901), United States
classical scholar, was born in Portland, Maine
.
He graduated at Harvard
in 1856, studied one year at the Harvard Law School
, was admitted to the Michigan bar and practised in Marshall, Michigan
, until 1865, when he was appointed tutor in Latin
at Harvard. In 1873 he became assistant professor, and in 1883 professor of Latin, a post which he resigned hardly six weeks before his death at Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
Following the lead of Goodwin's Moods and Tenses (1860), he set himself to study Latin historical syntax
, and in 1870 published Analysis of the Latin Subjunctive
, a brief treatise, privately printed, of much originality and value, and in many ways coinciding with Berthold Delbrück
's Gebrauch des Conjunctivs und Optativs in Sanskrit und Griechischen (1871), which, however, quite overshadowed the Analysis.
In 1872 appeared A Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges, founded on Comparative Grammar, by Joseph A. Allen and James B. Greenough, a work of great critical carefulness. His theory of cum-constructions is that adopted and developed by William Gardner Hale
. In 1872-1880 Greenough offered the first courses in Sanskrit
and comparative philology given at Harvard.
His fine abilities for advanced scholarship were used outside the classroom in editing the Allen and Greenough Latin Series of text-books, although he occasionally contributed to Harvard Studies in Classical Philology (founded in 1889 and endowed at his instance by his own class) papers on Latin syntax, prosody
and etymology
— a subject on which he planned a long work on Roman archaeology and on Greek religion at the time of the New Comedy.
He assisted largely in the founding of Radcliffe College
. An able English scholar and an excellent etymologist, he collaborated with Professor George L Kittredge on Words and their Ways in English Speech (1901), one of the best books on the subject in the language.
He wrote clever light verse, including:
Other Publications:
Selections from the Poems of Ovid (1882)
Select Orations of Cicero (1886)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
classical scholar, was born in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
.
He graduated at Harvard
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 1856, studied one year at the Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, was admitted to the Michigan bar and practised in Marshall, Michigan
Marshall, Michigan
Marshall is a city located in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 7,459. It is the county seat of Calhoun County...
, until 1865, when he was appointed tutor in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
at Harvard. In 1873 he became assistant professor, and in 1883 professor of Latin, a post which he resigned hardly six weeks before his death at Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
Following the lead of Goodwin's Moods and Tenses (1860), he set himself to study Latin historical syntax
Syntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
, and in 1870 published Analysis of the Latin Subjunctive
Subjunctive mood
In grammar, the subjunctive mood is a verb mood typically used in subordinate clauses to express various states of irreality such as wish, emotion, possibility, judgment, opinion, necessity, or action that has not yet occurred....
, a brief treatise, privately printed, of much originality and value, and in many ways coinciding with Berthold Delbrück
Berthold Delbrück
Berthold Gustav Gottlieb Delbrück was a German linguist who devoted himself to the study of the comparative syntax of the Indo-European languages.-Biography:...
's Gebrauch des Conjunctivs und Optativs in Sanskrit und Griechischen (1871), which, however, quite overshadowed the Analysis.
In 1872 appeared A Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges, founded on Comparative Grammar, by Joseph A. Allen and James B. Greenough, a work of great critical carefulness. His theory of cum-constructions is that adopted and developed by William Gardner Hale
William Gardner Hale
William Gardner Hale , American classical scholar, was born in Savannah, Georgia to a resident New England family.Hale was a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy...
. In 1872-1880 Greenough offered the first courses in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and comparative philology given at Harvard.
His fine abilities for advanced scholarship were used outside the classroom in editing the Allen and Greenough Latin Series of text-books, although he occasionally contributed to Harvard Studies in Classical Philology (founded in 1889 and endowed at his instance by his own class) papers on Latin syntax, prosody
Prosody (linguistics)
In linguistics, prosody is the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech. Prosody may reflect various features of the speaker or the utterance: the emotional state of the speaker; the form of the utterance ; the presence of irony or sarcasm; emphasis, contrast, and focus; or other elements of...
and etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
— a subject on which he planned a long work on Roman archaeology and on Greek religion at the time of the New Comedy.
He assisted largely in the founding of Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
. An able English scholar and an excellent etymologist, he collaborated with Professor George L Kittredge on Words and their Ways in English Speech (1901), one of the best books on the subject in the language.
He wrote clever light verse, including:
- The Blackbirds, a comedietta, first published in The Atlantic Monthly (vol. xxxix. 1877);
- The Rose and the Ring (1880), a pantomimePantomimePantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
adapted from William Makepeace ThackerayWilliam Makepeace ThackerayWilliam Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
; - The Queen of Hearts (1885), a dramatic fantasia;
- Old King ColeOld King Cole"Old King Cole" is an English nursery rhyme. The historical identity of King Cole has been much debated and several candidates have been advanced as possibilities...
(1889), an operetta.
Other Publications:
Selections from the Poems of Ovid (1882)
Select Orations of Cicero (1886)