Based on extensive archival research, interviews, and participant observation over the course of two decades, Theory Groups in the Study of Language in North America provides a detailed social history of traditions and “revolutionary” challenges to traditions within North American linguistics, especially within 20th-century anthropological linguistics. After showing substantial differences between Bloomfield's and neo-Bloomfieldian theorizing, Murray shows that early transformational-generative work on syntax grew out of neo-Bloomfieldian structuralism, and was promoted by neo-Bloomfieldian gatekeepers, in particular longtime Language editor Bernard Bloch. The central case studies of the book contrast the (increasingly) “revolutionary rhetoric” of transformational-generative grammarians with rhetorics of continuity emitted by two linguistic anthropology groupings that began simultaneously with TGG in the late-1950s, the ethnography of communication and ethnoscience.The history of linguistics in North America provides a continuum from isolated scholars to successful groups dominating entire disciplines. Although focused on groupings — both “invisible colleges” and readily visible institutions — Murray discusses those writing about language in society who were not participants in “theory groups” or “schools” both before and after the three central case studies. He provides a theory of social bases for claiming to be making “scientific revolution” in contrast to building on sound “traditions”, and suggests non-cognitive reasons for success in the often rhetorically violent contention of perspectives about language in North America during the last century and a half. The book includes appendices explaining the methodology used, an extensive bibliography, and an index.

Table of Contents:
1. List of Tables; 2. List of Figures; 3. Introduction; 4. 1. Theory groups in science; 5. 2. Early work on American languages; 6. 3. Franz Boas and the Institutionalization of Academic Anthropology; 7. 4. Boas's students; 8. 5. Edward Sapir; 9. 6. Was Bloomfield a Bloomfieldian; 10. 7. Neo-Bloomfieldians; 11. 8. Structuralist Diversification during the 1950s; 12. 9. Transformational-Generative Grammar before the1964-66 Revelations; 13. 10. Language contact and early sociolinguistics; 14. 11. The Ethnography of Speaking; 15. 12. Related perspectives; 16. 13. Ethnosciene; 17. 14. The sociology of language; 18. 15. Permanent Chomskian civil war in linguistics; 19. 16. The third generation of University of California sociolinguists; 20. 17. The turn away from linguistic interest in contemporary American anthropology; 21. 18. Conclusions; 22. An Appendix on Methods; 23. Bibliography; 24. Index of Names