Dell Hymes was born in 1927 in Portland, Oregon. In 1950, he
graduated from Reed College and earned his Ph.D. five years later from
Indiana University. After obtaining his
doctorate, he taught at Harvard University
(1955-60) and the University of California
at Berkeley (1960-65). He then joined the Department of Anthropology at the
University of Pennsylvania.
In 1972 he joined the Department of Folklore and Folklife, and in 1975 became Dean of the Graduate School of Education. (Throughout this period he was a member of the Graduate Group in Linguistics). He then became Professor of Anthropology and English at the University of Virginia, teaching classes inlinguistic anthropology, Native American mythology, ethnopoetics, and Native American poetry.
As the author of several books related to anthropology, his most notable books include Language in Culture and Society: A Reader in Linguistics and Anthropology (1964) and Reinventing Anthropology (1972). The Language in Culture and Society: A Reader in Linguistics and Anthropology book was used at many universities in order to teach classes on linguistics and culture in anthropology. Unfortunately, it isn't used anymore because it is currently out of print. His book entitled Reinventing Anthropology, is an edited collection of essays. This book was basically used as a persuasive book to create a bond between anthropologists.
Dell Hymes developed a mnemonic device to describe the elements that make up any speech. He referred to this as the SPEAKING model and the parts are as follows:
S - Setting and Scene - The setting refers to the time and place while scene describes the environment of the situation.
P - Participants - This refers to who is involved in the speech including the speaker and the audience.
E - Ends - The purpose and goals of the speech along with any outcomes of the speech.
A - Act Sequence - The order of events that took place during the speech.
K - Key - The overall tone or manner of the speech.
I - Instrumentalities - The form and style of the speech being given.
N - Norms - Defines what is socially acceptable at the event.
G - Genre - The type of speech that is being given.
Each one of these can be applied to every speech. One may not focus on all of them in a written document but it provides some structure. Hymes uses his knowledge of anthropology, linguistics, and ethnography in working with verbal traditions and languages of Oregon and Washington. Dell H. Hymes is currently a commonwealth Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus at the University of Virginia.
Picture courtesy of Dell Hymes.
Correspondence with Dell Hymes.
"Dell H. Hymes." Department of Anthropology at the University of Virginia. http://www.virginia.edu/~anthro/dhymes.html . 27 Feb. 2001.
"Dell Hymes." Biography.com. http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9348538 (October 2006)
"Dell Hymes' SPEAKING Mnemonic." Appalachian State University. Former Link, http://www1.appstate.edu/~mcgowant/2100hymes.htm . (October 2006) 28 Feb. 2001.
"Reinventing Anthropology." Barnes and Noble. (27 Feb. 2001) http://www.bn.com . 27 Feb 2001.
Written by: Greg Gaalswyk