Leonard Bloomfield was an influential American linguist born in 1887 and known for his work in the early 20th century. He played a key role in the development of structural linguistics, which focuses on the systematic study of language structure rather than its historical development. His book, Language, published in 1933, is considered a foundational text in the field. Bloomfield's research emphasized the importance of empirical data and scientific methods in linguistics. He contributed to the understanding of phonetics, syntax, and semantics, and his ideas laid the groundwork for later linguists, including Noam Chomsky. Bloomfield passed away in 1949, leaving a lasting impact on the study of language.