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Robert Gordon Latham

May 04, 2023

Robert Gordon Latham FRS (24 March 1812 – 9 March 1888) was an English ethnologist and philologist.

Robert Gordon Latham, c. 1845 by Hill & Adamson.

Early life

The eldest son of Thomas Latham, vicar of Billingborough, Lincolnshire, he was born there on 24 March 1812. He entered Eton College in 1819, and in 1829 went on to King's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1832, and was soon afterwards elected a Fellow.[1][2]

Philologist

Latham studied philology for a year on the continent, near Hamburg, then in Copenhagen with Rasmus Christian Rask,[3] and finally in Christiania (now Oslo).[2] In Norway he knew Ludvig Kristensen Daa and Henrik Wergeland; he wrote about the country in Norway and the Norwegians (1840).[4]

In 1839 he was elected professor of English language and literature in University College, London.[2] Here he associated with Thomas Hewitt Key and Henry Malden, linguists working in the tradition of Friedrich August Rosen. Together they developed the Philological Society, expanding it from a student group to a broad base among London philologists, publishing its own Proceedings.[5]

Medical career

Latham decided to enter the medical profession, and in 1842 became a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians; he subsequently obtained the degree of M.D. at the University of London.[2] He became lecturer on forensic medicine and materia medica at the Middlesex Hospital, and in 1844 he was elected assistant-physician there.

Ethnologist

Latham was more interested, however, in ethnology and philology. In 1849 he abandoned medicine and resigned his appointments. In 1852 he was given the direction of the ethnological department of The Crystal Palace, as it moved to Sydenham.[2]

 
The Crystal Palace at Sydenham, interior view. Latham was curator of a "court of natural history", an ethnological display, set up as the Palace moved from its original location and content (the Great Exhibition of 1851), to a permanent site.[6]

Latham was a follower of James Cowles Prichard, and like Prichard took ethnology to be, in the main, the part of historical philology that traced the origin of races through the genealogical relationships of languages.[7] He frequently lectured in this area. As a baseline he used the three-race theory of Georges Cuvier.[8] Along with Prichard, however, Latham criticised Cuvier's use of the "Caucasian race" concept; and he preferred to avoid the term "race", referring instead to "varieties of man", as a reaction to the rise of polygenist theory around 1850.[9] However, he followed in 1854 by writing The Native Races of the Russian Empire.

Latham moved on, though, from Prichard's assumption (now sometimes called "languages and nations"), that the historical relationships of languages matched perfectly the relationships of the groups speaking them. In 1862 he made a prominent protest against the central Asian theory of the origin of the Aryan race. He supported views which were later advocated by Theodor Benfey, Parker, Isaac Taylor, and others.[2] The origin of the Indo-European languages was, in Latham's view, in Lithuania; and he strongly attacked Max Müller, proponent of the "Aryan theory", at the same time as did John Crawfurd arguing from rather different premises.[10] The controversy over Latham's views on Indo-European languages following his Comparative Philology (1862) did permanent damage to his scholarly reputation.[11]

Later life

 
Robert Gordon Latham, photograph published 1863.

Gordon Hake wrote in his memoirs of Latham's habit of pleading poverty and asking for money.[12] In 1863 Latham obtained a civil list pension. In later life he was afflicted with aphasia, and died at Putney on 9 March 1888.[2]

Works

In 1841 Latham produced a well-known text-book, The English Language. He devoted himself to a thorough revision of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, which he completed in 1870. He subsequently spent much time on a Dissertation on the Hamlet of Saxo Grammaticus and of Shakespeare. His works on the English language passed through many editions, and were regarded as authoritative till they were superseded by those of Richard Morris and Walter William Skeat.[2]

Other works included:

  • An Elementary English Grammar for the Use of Schools, 1843
  • The Natural History of the Varieties of Mankind, 1850
  • The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies, 1851
  • Man and his Migrations, 1851
  • The Ethnology of Europe, 1852
  • The Native Races of the Russian Empire, 1854
  • On the Varieties of the Human Species, in Orr's Circle of the Sciences vol. 1, 1854[13]
  • Logic in its Application to Language, 1856
  • Descriptive Ethnology, 1858 Volume I Volume II
  • Opuscula: Essays Chiefly Philological and Ethnographical, 1860
  • A Smaller English Grammar for the Use of Schools, 1861
  • (with David Thomas Ansted) The Channel Islands, 1862; 2nd edition (1865).
  • Elements of Comparative Philology, 1862

References

  1. ^ "Latham, Robert Gordon (LTN829RG)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Latham, Robert Gordon" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  3. ^ Franklin E. Court, Institutionalizing English Literature: the culture and politics of literary study, 1750–1900 (1992) pp. 78–9; Google Books.
  4. ^ Carl John Birch Burchard, Norwegian Life and Literature; English accounts and views, especially in the 19th century (1920), p. 106; archive.org.
  5. ^ Raymond Wilson Chambers, Man's Unconquerable Mind: studies of English writers, from Bede to A. E. Housman and W. P. Ker (2953), p. 350; Google Books.
  6. ^ Sadiah Qureshi, Peoples on Parade: Exhibitions, Empire, and Anthropology in Nineteenth-Century Britain (2011), p. 217; Google Books.
  7. ^ Robert Young, Colonial Desire: hybridity in theory, culture, and race (1996), p. 66; Google Books.
  8. ^ Philip D. Curtin, The Image of Africa: British ideas and action, 1780–1850 (1973), p. 369; Google Books.
  9. ^ Bruce David Baum, The Rise and Fall of the Caucasian race: a political history of racial identity (2006), pp. 111–2; Google Books.
  10. ^ Thomas R. Trautmann, Languages and Nations: the Dravidian proof in colonial Madras (2006), p. 223; Google Books.
  11. ^ George W. Stocking, Jr., Victorian Anthropology (1987), p. 58.
  12. ^ Thomas Gordon Hake, Memoirs of Eighty Years (1892), p. 208; archive.org.
  13. ^ William Somerville Orr; Richard Owen; Robert Gordon Latham (1854). The Principles of Physiology. W. S. Orr and Company.
Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wood, James, ed. (1907). The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)   This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Latham, Robert Gordon". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

External links

May 04, 2023
robert, gordon, latham, march, 1812, march, 1888, english, ethnologist, philologist, 1845, hill, adamson, contents, early, life, philologist, medical, career, ethnologist, later, life, works, references, external, linksearly, life, editthe, eldest, thomas, lat. Robert Gordon Latham FRS 24 March 1812 9 March 1888 was an English ethnologist and philologist Robert Gordon Latham c 1845 by Hill amp Adamson Contents 1 Early life 2 Philologist 3 Medical career 4 Ethnologist 5 Later life 6 Works 7 References 8 External linksEarly life EditThe eldest son of Thomas Latham vicar of Billingborough Lincolnshire he was born there on 24 March 1812 He entered Eton College in 1819 and in 1829 went on to King s College Cambridge where he graduated B A in 1832 and was soon afterwards elected a Fellow 1 2 Philologist EditLatham studied philology for a year on the continent near Hamburg then in Copenhagen with Rasmus Christian Rask 3 and finally in Christiania now Oslo 2 In Norway he knew Ludvig Kristensen Daa and Henrik Wergeland he wrote about the country in Norway and the Norwegians 1840 4 In 1839 he was elected professor of English language and literature in University College London 2 Here he associated with Thomas Hewitt Key and Henry Malden linguists working in the tradition of Friedrich August Rosen Together they developed the Philological Society expanding it from a student group to a broad base among London philologists publishing its own Proceedings 5 Medical career EditLatham decided to enter the medical profession and in 1842 became a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians he subsequently obtained the degree of M D at the University of London 2 He became lecturer on forensic medicine and materia medica at the Middlesex Hospital and in 1844 he was elected assistant physician there Ethnologist EditLatham was more interested however in ethnology and philology In 1849 he abandoned medicine and resigned his appointments In 1852 he was given the direction of the ethnological department of The Crystal Palace as it moved to Sydenham 2 The Crystal Palace at Sydenham interior view Latham was curator of a court of natural history an ethnological display set up as the Palace moved from its original location and content the Great Exhibition of 1851 to a permanent site 6 Latham was a follower of James Cowles Prichard and like Prichard took ethnology to be in the main the part of historical philology that traced the origin of races through the genealogical relationships of languages 7 He frequently lectured in this area As a baseline he used the three race theory of Georges Cuvier 8 Along with Prichard however Latham criticised Cuvier s use of the Caucasian race concept and he preferred to avoid the term race referring instead to varieties of man as a reaction to the rise of polygenist theory around 1850 9 However he followed in 1854 by writing The Native Races of the Russian Empire Latham moved on though from Prichard s assumption now sometimes called languages and nations that the historical relationships of languages matched perfectly the relationships of the groups speaking them In 1862 he made a prominent protest against the central Asian theory of the origin of the Aryan race He supported views which were later advocated by Theodor Benfey Parker Isaac Taylor and others 2 The origin of the Indo European languages was in Latham s view in Lithuania and he strongly attacked Max Muller proponent of the Aryan theory at the same time as did John Crawfurd arguing from rather different premises 10 The controversy over Latham s views on Indo European languages following his Comparative Philology 1862 did permanent damage to his scholarly reputation 11 Later life Edit Robert Gordon Latham photograph published 1863 Gordon Hake wrote in his memoirs of Latham s habit of pleading poverty and asking for money 12 In 1863 Latham obtained a civil list pension In later life he was afflicted with aphasia and died at Putney on 9 March 1888 2 Works EditIn 1841 Latham produced a well known text book The English Language He devoted himself to a thorough revision of Samuel Johnson s Dictionary of the English Language which he completed in 1870 He subsequently spent much time on a Dissertation on the Hamlet of Saxo Grammaticus and of Shakespeare His works on the English language passed through many editions and were regarded as authoritative till they were superseded by those of Richard Morris and Walter William Skeat 2 Other works included An Elementary English Grammar for the Use of Schools 1843 The Natural History of the Varieties of Mankind 1850 The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies 1851 Man and his Migrations 1851 The Ethnology of Europe 1852 The Native Races of the Russian Empire 1854 On the Varieties of the Human Species in Orr s Circle of the Sciences vol 1 1854 13 Logic in its Application to Language 1856 Descriptive Ethnology 1858 Volume I Volume IIOpuscula Essays Chiefly Philological and Ethnographical 1860 A Smaller English Grammar for the Use of Schools 1861 with David Thomas Ansted The Channel Islands 1862 2nd edition 1865 Elements of Comparative Philology 1862References Edit Latham Robert Gordon LTN829RG A Cambridge Alumni Database University of Cambridge a b c d e f g h Latham Robert Gordon Dictionary of National Biography London Smith Elder amp Co 1885 1900 Franklin E Court Institutionalizing English Literature the culture and politics of literary study 1750 1900 1992 pp 78 9 Google Books Carl John Birch Burchard Norwegian Life and Literature English accounts and views especially in the 19th century 1920 p 106 archive org Raymond Wilson Chambers Man s Unconquerable Mind studies of English writers from Bede to A E Housman and W P Ker 2953 p 350 Google Books Sadiah Qureshi Peoples on Parade Exhibitions Empire and Anthropology in Nineteenth Century Britain 2011 p 217 Google Books Robert Young Colonial Desire hybridity in theory culture and race 1996 p 66 Google Books Philip D Curtin The Image of Africa British ideas and action 1780 1850 1973 p 369 Google Books Bruce David Baum The Rise and Fall of the Caucasian race a political history of racial identity 2006 pp 111 2 Google Books Thomas R Trautmann Languages and Nations the Dravidian proof in colonial Madras 2006 p 223 Google Books George W Stocking Jr Victorian Anthropology 1987 p 58 Thomas Gordon Hake Memoirs of Eighty Years 1892 p 208 archive org William Somerville Orr Richard Owen Robert Gordon Latham 1854 The Principles of Physiology W S Orr and Company AttributionThis article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Wood James ed 1907 The Nuttall Encyclopaedia London and New York Frederick Warne a href Template Cite encyclopedia html title Template Cite encyclopedia cite encyclopedia a Missing or empty title help This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Latham Robert Gordon Dictionary of National Biography London Smith Elder amp Co 1885 1900 External links EditWorks by Robert Gordon Latham at Project Gutenberg Works by or about Robert Gordon Latham at Internet Archive Works by Robert Gordon Latham at LibriVox public domain audiobooks Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Gordon Latham amp oldid 1144893725, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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