Sylvester Primer
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Sylvester Primer (1842–1912) was an American linguist and
philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...
known for his pioneering work in 1887 on the dialect of the European-American residents of
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. 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
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, where he also headed the Romance language department as well as a new German-language department. 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
University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ea ...
. He taught first at
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
, then a decade at the
College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...
, and briefly at
Colorado College Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...
before joining the faculty in Texas.


Early life and education

Born in
Geneva, Wisconsin Geneva is a town in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,390 at the 2020 census. The census-designated place of Como is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Lake Como is also located in the town. Geogr ...
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 Genesee County. He attended local schools as a child. His higher education was interrupted by his serving in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. 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
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1874 and was
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
. He went to Europe to study with scholars there and worked at
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
,
Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...
, and
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
, where he received his PhD in 1880.


Civil War

Primer served in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, first in Company E of the 105th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry from
Genesee County, New York Genesee County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,388. Its county seat is Batavia. Its name is from Seneca word Gen-nis'-hee-yo, meaning "the Beautiful Valley".THE AMERICAN REVIEW; A WHIG JO ...
. He was with them when wounded during the Battle of
Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...
. After his recovery, Primer later enlisted in and served with the Fifteenth New York Cavalry.


Academic career as linguist

After completing his graduate work, Primer returned to the United States, teaching first at Brown University (1880–1881). He taught at the
College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...
in South Carolina from 1881 to 1890. During this period, he first directed scholarly attention toward the unique dialect of the city of Charleston in a paper he delivered at the
Modern Language Association The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "st ...
of America in 1887."Charleston Provincialisms" (1887)
Internet Archive and Early Journal Content on JSTOR, accessed 5 November 2014
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 ''Transactions of the Modern Language Association'', vol. III, 1888, p. 84–99; it was also published in Europe in ''Phonetische Studien'', vol. i, 1888, p. 227; and in the ''American Journal of Philology'', IX (1888), p. 198–213. Primer also wrote "The
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
Element in Charleston's Provincialisms;" it was published in ''Phonetische Studien'', vol. iii, 1891, p. 139. In 1891, Primer joined the faculty of the
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, 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. 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 Council of Women.


Works

*"The Pronunciation of Fredericksburg, Va.", in ''Pub. Modern Language Association'', vol. v, 1889, p. 185. *"The Pronunciation Near Fredericksburg, Va.", in the ''Proceedings of the American Philological Association'' (1889), p. xxv. *"Dialectical Studies in
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
", ''Colorado College Studies'' (1891) He also published in German: *''Die Consonatische Deklination in den germanischen Sprachen'' (1880/2010, reissued in paperback, Kessinger Publishing)''Die Consonatische Deklination in den germanischen Sprachen''
Kessinger Publishing, 2010 paperback facsimile edition
Primer published annotated scholarly editions of several European plays, including *
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (, ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the developmen ...
's ''
Minna von Barnhelm ''Minna von Barnhelm or the Soldiers' Happiness'' (german: Minna von Barnhelm oder das Soldatenglück, ) is a ''lustspiel'' or comedy by the German author Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. It has five acts, was begun in 1763 and completed in 1767 – ...
'' (1767), (1889) edited and notes by Primer *Gotthold E. Lessing, ''
Nathan der Weise ''Nathan the Wise'' (original German title: ', ) is a play by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing from 1779. It is a fervent plea for religious tolerance. It was never performed during Lessing's lifetime and was first performed in 1783 at the Döbbelinsch ...
,'' (1894), ed. Sylvester Primer *
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...
, '' Egmont'' (original 1788), (1898) annotated edition and introduction in English by Primer
''Guzman el Bueno. Drama en Cuatro Actos''
Don
Antonio Gil y Zárate Antonio Gil y Zárate (1 December 1793–1861) was a Spanish dramatist and pedagogue whose work is associated with Romanticism.
, 1901/1916 revised edition by Ginn and Company, annotated and edited by Primer, with introduction in English, Internet Archive edition available online Primer's seminal works on Charleston's unique and vanishing dialect continue to be among the most important scholarly contributions to the subject today.


Legacy

Primer's personal and family papers are held by the University of Texas at Austin."A Guide to the Sylvester Primer Family Papers, 1866–1959"
Brisco Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin, accessed 5 November 2014


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Primer, Sylvester 1842 births 1912 deaths Harvard University alumni University of Strasbourg alumni University of Göttingen alumni Leipzig University alumni Colorado College faculty University of Texas at Austin faculty Linguists from the United States People from Geneva, Wisconsin Brown University faculty