An examination of the place of American English in the research of William Dwight Whitney and Leonard Bloomfield focuses on the divergence of their approaches to language. A review of their works looks at the way in which Whitney's interest in American English complemented his other strong interests (the social and political setting for language and language change, languages in contact, and dialect variation) and the manner in which Bloomfield's corresponding lack of interest in American English led him away from these approaches and to more internal psychological and structural explanations for language and language change. The influence of works by Wilhelm Wundt and Franz Boas on early Bloomfield and their role in his shift away from the concerns of American English are discussed. (MSE)