Wikipedia

Margaret M. Bryant

This article is about the American linguist born in 1900; for the English writer born in 1870, see Margaret Bryant.

Margaret Mae Bryant (December 3, 1900 – July 15, 1993) was an American linguist and folklorist. She was an expert on grammar, and was twice president of the American Name Society.

Margaret M. Bryant
A middle-aged white woman with greying hair in a set style
Bryant, from a 1956 newspaper
BornDecember 3, 1900
Trenton, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 1993 (age 92)
Clemson, South Carolina, U.S.
Occupation(s)Linguist, English professor, folklorist

Early life and education

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Bryant was born in Trenton, South Carolina,[1] the daughter of John Bryant and Hattie Bryant. She graduated from Winthrop College in 1921, and earned a master's degree (1925) and a Ph.D. (1931), both at Columbia University. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.[2][3]

Career

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Bryant was a professor of English at Brooklyn College for 41 years, from 1930 until she retired in 1971, and chair of the English department. She was a charter member and president of the American Name Society, president of the International Linguistic Association, and president of the American Society of Geolinguistics. She was also president of the New York City chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). In 1956, received the Mary Mildred Sullivan Medallion from Winthrop College, as an outstanding alumna.[1] She was a cultural attaché in India, and a visiting scholar at the University of Uppsala,[4] and attended the International Congress of Onomastic Sciences. In 1963, she endowed a fellowship for an international student at Winthrop College.[5] In 1974, the American Name Society published a festschrift in her honor.[2]

Publications

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In addition to several books, Bryant's research was published in journals including College English,[6][7] American Speech,[8][9][10] English Journal,[11] Western Folklore,[12] The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals,[13] and Names.[14][15][16][17]

Books

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  • Psychology of English (1940, with Janet Rankin Aiken)[18]
  • Proverbs, and how to Collect Them (1945)[19]
  • Maple Sugar Language in Vermont (1947)[20]
  • Modern English and Its Heritage (1948)[21]
  • A Functional English Grammar (1959)[22]
  • Current American Usage (1962)[23]
  • A Dictionary of American Proverbs (1992)[3]

Articles

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  • "English in the Law Courts: The Part That Articles, Prepositions and Conjunctions Play in Legal Decisions" (1930)[24]
  • "What One Word Can Do" (1941)[6]
  • "Equivalents of 'Please': The Softened Imperative in Present-Day English" (1944)[8]
  • "Order in Sentences" (1944)[7]
  • "The Psychology of English" (1947)[11]
  • "Proverbial Lore in American Life and Speech" (1951)[12]
  • "Research in the English Language" (1955)[13]
  • "Names in Everyday Speach" (1957)[14]
  • "Baby Terms" (1963, with John D. Williams)[15]
  • "Names in Gardening" (1964)[25]
  • "Space Exploration Terms" (1968)[9]
  • "Names and Terms Used in the Fashion World" (1970)[10]
  • "Some Indian and Dutch Names Reflecting the Early History of Brooklyn" (1972)[26]
  • "Blends are Increasing" (1974)[27]
  • "After 25 Years of Onomastic Study" (1976)[16]
  • "New Words from Popular Mechanics" (1977)[28]
  • "Marcel Proust's Interest in Names" (1978)[17]

Personal life and legacy

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Bryant moved into a South Carolina nursing home in her last years, and was elected president of the residents there. She died in 1993, at the age of 92, in Clemson, South Carolina.[3] In 1997, her alma mater Winthrop University established a Margaret M. Bryant Professorship in English.[29]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Outstanding Service Award Made at Winthrop College". Florence Morning News. 1956-06-13. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-03-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Ashley, Leonard R. N. (1993-06-01). "Margaret M. Bryant". Names. 41 (2): 111–116. doi:10.1179/nam.1993.41.2.111. ISSN 1756-2279.
  3. ^ a b c "Dr. Margaret M. Bryant, author, retired professor". The Greenville News. 1993-06-16. p. 22. Retrieved 2024-03-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Winthrop Alumnae Award Fellowships". The Greenville News. 1963-12-20. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-03-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Second International Fellowship Established by Winthrop Alumnae". The State. 1963-12-20. p. 21. Retrieved 2024-03-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (1941). "What One Word Can Do". College English. 3 (3): 284–290. doi:10.2307/370988. ISSN 0010-0994. JSTOR 370988.
  7. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (1944). "Order in Sentences". College English. 5 (8): 434–438. doi:10.2307/371456. ISSN 0010-0994. JSTOR 371456.
  8. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (1944). "Equivalents of 'Please': The Softened Imperative in Present-Day English". American Speech. 19 (3): 175–182. doi:10.2307/487289. ISSN 0003-1283. JSTOR 487289.
  9. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (1968). "Space Exploration Terms". American Speech. 43 (3): 163–181. doi:10.2307/454462. ISSN 0003-1283. JSTOR 454462.
  10. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (1970). "Names and Terms Used in the Fashion World". American Speech. 45 (3/4): 168–194. doi:10.2307/454832. ISSN 0003-1283. JSTOR 454832.
  11. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (1947). "The Psychology of English". The English Journal. 36 (8): 407–412. doi:10.2307/806671. ISSN 0013-8274. JSTOR 806671.
  12. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (1951). "Proverbial Lore in American Life and Speech". Western Folklore. 10 (2): 134–142. doi:10.2307/1497966. ISSN 0043-373X. JSTOR 1497966.
  13. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (September 1955). "Research in the English Language". The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. 39 (212): 116–125. doi:10.1177/019263655503921220. ISSN 2471-3317. S2CID 144389568.
  14. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (1957-03-01). "Names in Everyday Speach". Names. 5 (1): 47–58. doi:10.1179/nam.1957.5.1.47. ISSN 1756-2279.
  15. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M.; Williams, John D. (1963-12-01). "Baby Terms". Names. 11 (4): 257–262. doi:10.1179/nam.1963.11.4.257. ISSN 1756-2279.
  16. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (1976-03-01). "After 25 Years of Onomastic Study". Names. 24 (1): 30–56. doi:10.1179/nam.1976.24.1.30. ISSN 1756-2279.
  17. ^ a b Bryant, Margaret M. (1978-03-01). "Marcel Proust's Interest in Names". Names. 26 (1): 20–26. doi:10.1179/nam.1978.26.1.20. ISSN 1756-2279.
  18. ^ Janet Rankin Aiken (Authors) Margaret M. Bryant (1940-01-01). Psychology of English. Internet Archive. Columbia University Press.
  19. ^ Bryant, Margaret M. (1945). Proverbs, and how to Collect Them. American Dialect Society.
  20. ^ Bryant, Margaret M. (1947). Maple Sugar Language in Vermont. American Dialect Society.
  21. ^ Bryant, Margaret M. (1948). Modern English and Its Heritage. Internet Archive.
  22. ^ Bryant, Margaret M. (1959). A Functional English Grammar. D.C. Heath.
  23. ^ Bryant, Margaret M. (1962). Current American Usage. Funk & Wagnalls.
  24. ^ Bryant, Margaret M. (2019-05-06), "English in the Law Courts: The Part That Articles, Prepositions and Conjunctions Play in Legal Decisions", English in the Law Courts, Columbia University Press, doi:10.7312/brya91016, ISBN 978-0-231-88163-0, retrieved 2024-03-03
  25. ^ Bryant, Margaret M. (1964-04-01). "Names in Gardening". The Publication of the American Dialect Society. 41 (1): 16–21. doi:10.1215/-41-1-16. ISSN 0002-8207.
  26. ^ Bryant, Margaret M. (1972-06-01). "Some Indian and Dutch Names Reflecting the Early History of Brooklyn". Names. 20 (2): 106–110. doi:10.1179/nam.1972.20.2.106. ISSN 1756-2279.
  27. ^ Bryant, Margaret M. (1974). "Blends Are Increasing". American Speech. 49 (3/4): 163–184. doi:10.2307/3087796. ISSN 0003-1283. JSTOR 3087796.
  28. ^ Bryant, Margaret M. (1977). "New Words from Popular Mechanics". American Speech. 52 (1/2): 39–46. doi:10.2307/454718. ISSN 0003-1283. JSTOR 454718.
  29. ^ "Board of Trustees, Resolution to Honor Dr. Gloria Godfrey Jones & Margaret M. Bryant". Winthrop University. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
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