LINGUIST List 15.1152

Thu Apr 8 2004

All: Remembering Larry Trask

Editor for this issue: Anne Clarke <annelinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Anne Clarke, Remembering Larry Trask

Dear Subscribers,

As you may have read, Larry Trask, accomplished professor of linguistics
at the University of Sussex, passed away on March 27. His obituary was
posted last week (LINGUIST 15.1055).

Without question, R.L. Trask will be remembered for any of a number of
remarkable contributions to the field of linguistics: his work in
historical linguistics and the Basque language, his introductory texts on
linguistics, his technical dictionaries, and other noted achievements.
We at the LINGUIST List will also remember--and are grateful to Larry
for--his active role in LINGUIST.

Over the years, Larry took part in numerous discussions, handled queries,
submitted queries of his own, and wrote up summaries about them. He also,
since 1999, handled over 880 questions via our Ask-A-Linguist facility.

Discussions were never boring when Larry was involved. Karen Milligan,
our former editor-in-chief, recalls having to ask him on more than one
occasion to tone down the rhetoric just a bit. Although not happy with
the request, he would always agree to compromise! We will surely miss his
tremendous energy, his intellectual honesty, his entertaining wit ...

Larry will be fondly remembered indeed.