A detailed study of Gilchrist?s grammatical praxis whichpresents a picture of the complex relationship between grammaticalinquiry and the politics of colonial discourse in the early yearsof the Indian Empire. Develops a method of reading colonial grammars thatacknowledges both the technical and the political dimensions of thetext Explores the political consequences of the choices thatgrammarians made that could easily elicit reactions of fear,confusion, and even contempt in colonial observers Presents a picture of the complex relationship betweengrammatical inquiry and the politics of colonial discourse in theearly years of the Indian Empire