“Working With No Data”: Semitic and Egyptian Studies Presented to Thomas O. Lambdin

The range and breadth of Thomas O. Lambdin’s interests in Semitic linguistics are reflected in this collection of essays in his honor. Professor at Harvard University since 1969, Lambdin has vigorously scrutinized, analyzed, and written on many of the individual Semitic languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, Ethiopic, Coptic—plus the comparative and historical grammar of the family as a whole.

But Lambdin’s reputation derives primarily from his teaching, for his most widely used books (Introduction to Biblical Hebrew and Introduction to Classical Ethiopic) originated in the classroom. By training his students not only in the related languages but also in historical grammar and comparative semitics, he has enabled them to use comparative material with first-hand knowledge and critical awareness.

The title of this volume reflects Lambdin’s awareness that the linguist is frequently working in a field that has no previously established guidelines; the ramifications of this realization are then explored in various linguistic fields by former students and colleagues of Lambdin.