William Jones Character Analysis

William Jones was an English linguist, polymath, and colonial administrator in India in the late 18th century. To many, Jones is the undisputed founder of Orientalism. For Said, he is the undisputed founder of modern (18th and 19th century) Orientalism because the goals of all his scholarship were to learn about the Orient, to compare the Orient to the West, and to rule the Orient. His study of indigenous Indian law contributed to the application of British law in the colony, and his study of Sanskrit led to the postulation of the Indo-European language from which most modern languages of Northern Europe derive. In addition, his participation in learned societies contributed to the expansion of Orientalist knowledge—and discourse—throughout the period of colonial expansion.