Department Seminar on Current Directions in Linguistics (Concept Paper)

“Even within our generation a vast expansion of linguistic study has taken place”

Einar Haugen,1951, Directions in Modern Linguistics

( Language,27:3)

Since its inception in the late eighteen century modern linguistics has developed and diversified into many spheres – the very successful field of historical comparative linguistics, the rise of structural and descriptive linguistics, introduction of dialectology, establishment of International Phonetic Association, development of phonology and other areas of language study under the Prague School, development of Glossematics under the Copenhangen School – only  to name a few. Needless to say expansion of linguistic study has shown no sign of slowing down after the above-mentioned paper was published in 1951.  Since then we have witnessed the birth of generative linguistics which is referred to as nothing short of a revolution in linguistics. We have seen the development of Systemic Functional Grammar, Sociolinguistics (‘an oddly redundant term’ to quote Willam Labov), Cognitive Linguistics, development of Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis. Besides linguistics have become progressively involved in allied areas through the development of computational linguistics, language teaching methodologies, neurolinguistics, language policy and planning, anthropolinguistics including issues of language endangerment etc.

Kolkata has always been a part of the development of modern linguistics. William Jones’s 1786 speech at the Asiatic Society, Kolkata (then Calcutta) started a course of study which broke away from the established traditions and methods and successfully established genetic groupings of languages spoken all over the world. Though even before 1786 many ancient linguistic tradition including India and Greece excelled in the field of rhetorics, grammar, linguistic philosophy and literary analysis, this speech is almost universally earmarked as the start of linguistics as we know it. The department of comparative philology (now department of Linguistics), Calcutta University was established in 1904, making it the oldest post graduate department of  Linguistics in India. Linguistic Society of India, founded in 1928 in Lahore, operated from Kolkata from 1937 to 1955 before it shifted to Pune where it merged with the Indian Philological Association. Even now, in terms of student strength, this department remains one of the largest Linguistics departments of the country. This department, however, is not the only establishment in Kolkata devoted to linguistic studies. The linguistics department in Sanskrit College is the only department in the country that offers under graduate degree in Linguistics. Jadavpur University has a newly established and flourishing department linguistics, Indian Statistical Institute have two units – the Linguistic Research Unit and the Computer Pattern and Vision Recognition – that have a number of research projects in Linguistics, Anthropological Society of India and the Asiatic Society have long tradition of linguistic researches in diverse fields, language studies are being conducted in Kolkata under language division. There are undoubtedly many other departments, institutes and individuals all over Kolkata devoting time towards the study of language. The purpose of this seminar to assess the directions and trends in current studies in linguistics, to enable an opportunity for mutual exchange of ideas and results and to discuss future directions of linguistic study in our present context.

Professor Subhadra Kumar Sen [July 3, 1939 - September 5, 2009]

The 5^th of September 2009 is a sad day for our department. We lost Professor Subhadra Kumar Sen, a great teacher – sympathetic and scholarly – on the day dedicated to teachers. Professor Sen was born on July 3, 1939 to Mrs Sunila and Professor Sukumar Sen. Professor Sukumar Sen, one of the most respected scholars and linguists of the country, was a student as well as a teacher in this department. This department was then known as the department of Comparative Philology. Professor Subhadra Kumar Sen had his education in Kolkata in the Scottish Church School, the Scottish Church College and then in the Calcutta University.

As a faculty member, Professor Sen served this department for almost three decades till 2004, when he retired as the Khaira Professor of Linguistics and Phonetics. During this period he also rendered his services to the department of Bengali Language and Literature, the department of English Language and Literature, the department of Sanskrit and successfully supervised a number of PhD students on diverse topics. But his association with the Linguistics department spanned well beyond these thirty years. As a student, pursuing honours degree in Linguistics from the Scottish Church College, he used to come to the department for his classes, as the course of Linguistics for under graduate degree was held at the University in those days. He became the Ishan scholar of the University of Calcutta for the year of 1959. Later he did his PhD from this department under venerable Professor Suniti Kumar Chatterji’s guidance. His doctoral dissertation was entitled "Proto New Indo-Aryan that is Avahattha." Before joining as a full time faculty member, he served the department as a part time lecturer for about three years. After his retirement his long association with the department continued as an indispensible member of the PhD committee, a meeting of which he attended only a few weeks before his sudden and untimely demise.

 Notwithstanding his long association, it would be unjust to count his attachment with the department in terms of years alone. His deep respect and strong commitment for what he often referred to as “the glorious tradition of our department”, was amply evident to the students and colleagues who had a chance to interact with him. He would often reminisce about his teachers – Professor S K Chatterji in particular, reflect on the contribution of the department to historical linguistics, implore younger faculty members to remember this tradition and to try their best to live up to it. It is probably this deep respect for the linguistic tradition of the department that inspired him to become an accomplished scholar in the field of Indo-Aryan and Indo-European linguistics. Some of his important contributions in the field of historical linguistics in particular and linguistics in general can be seen in the select bibliography given at the end of this article. As a student, it was a privilege to attend his lectures on Indo-European and Gothic and bear witness to his scholarship and mastery over the subject.

Professors Sen’s interests were not confined to linguistics. He was extremely well versed in both Bengali and English literary works, an avid reader of Bible, a ghost story aficionado, an investigator of Battala literature and a great enthusiast of detective fictions from all over the world. He himself wrote and published detective stories based on the adventures of fictional private detective Somnath Goyenda. Besides, he translated a good number of Sherlock Holmes’s adventures in Bengali. These were published in the Bengali children’s magazine Anandamela and became extremely popular.

Professor Sen served a number of organisations at different times in various administrative capacities. He was the treasurer of the Asiatic Society, the President of the International School of Dravidian Linguistics, the Vice-President of Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, the Honorary Secretary of Federation Hall, and member of the Executive Committee of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi.

His stature was never intimidating to his students. On the contrary, he was gentle, sympathetic and kind. His students can never forget his respectful yet affable use of ‘apni’ address. In him we found a compassionate educationist who was always available to students and research scholars for guidance. He was modest about his own achievements but proud of those of his students. He was patient and even encouraging even to those who chose not to follow his field of study or disagree with him on issues such as what should be the focus of linguistic research. Though firm of conviction, he was courteous, sophisticated and polite to colleagues and friends, often drawing comments about appropriateness of his name. Personally it was an honour to have known Professor Sen as a teacher, as a PhD supervisor and as a human being.

 No tribute to Professor Sen can be complete without the mention of his wife Mrs Krishna Sen, his companion for more than forty years and affectionate and welcoming mashima for his students like us. He has left behind daughter Sunritabari and son Sunandan Kumar, both established academicians, and granddaughter little Anasmita.

A SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Monographs
A Gothic Primer. Calcutta: Eastern Publishers, 1979.

Muhammad Shahidullah. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 1998.

Old Bengali Syntax. Thiruvananthapuram: International School of Dravidian Linguistics, 2007.

Proto New Indo-Aryan. Calcutta: Eastern Publishers, 1973 and reissued by Shree Balaram Prakasani, 2007.

(with Taracarana Sikadara) Kasiramadasa's Bhadrarjuna: 1852 Khrishtabde prakasita nataka. Kolkata: Eastern Publishers, 1966.

(with Irach J.S. Taraporewala) Hanjamana. Calcutta: Calcutta University, 1989.

Articles
"Formation of Personal Names in Indo-European." International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics 34.2(2005):153-158.

"Old Persian Notes." Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute 51-52(1991-1992): 357-359.

 "On *pius." General Linguistics 41.1(2001):265.

"Suniti Kumar Chatterji's Contribution to Linguistics." Asian Studies (Calcutta) 8.1 (1990): 13-23.

"There is a similar reason." Indo-Iranica 41.1-4(1988):91-96.

"Unrequited Love: East and West." Journal of Indo-European Studies 25.4 (1997):417.

"Word Ordering in the Astadhyahi." Journal of Indo-European Studies 27.1-2 (1999):101-103.
"Wulfila and Indo-European Literary Tradition. Journal of the Asiatic Society (Calcutta) 27.4 (1985):121-124.

(with E.P. Hamp, W.P. Lehman, M. Mayrhofer, J. Puhvel and W. Winter) "Proto-Indo-European: A multiangular view. Journal of Indo-European Studies 22.1-2 (1994):67-89.

Aditi Ghosh

Department of Linguistics

University of Calcutta