2021-07-262021-07-262007MILANI, Sebastião Elias. Historiografia do estudos de Willian D. Whitney: a lei do menor esforço. Linha D'Agua, São Paulo, n. 20, p. 37-47, 2007.e- 2236-4242http://repositorio.bc.ufg.br/handle/ri/19716Whitney was American and studied in the Europe under the shield of the Comparative Grammar. His most important work of language theory was published in 1875 and was marked by the influence of the social changes, which turned the humane kind more materialist and rational, and by the ethnic composition of his country. His research concentrated in the practical needs that he faced in his everyday life as a professor. His concepts denote a search for practical solutions for the languages learning.porAcesso AbertoMenor esforçoLeast effortLínguaLinguagemLanguageNeogrammarianNeogramáticaArtigo10.11606/issn.2236-4242.v0i20p51-65