Geoffrey Nunberg, 1945-2020

A linguist who won huge audiences with his analyses of changing language usage, conservative rhetoric and swearing has died.

Geoffrey Nunberg was born in New York in 1945 and raised in Manhattan. He studied for a BA at Columbia University and a master¡¯s at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania before going on to a PhD at 바카라사이트 City University of New York (1978). He spoke perfect Italian, French, German and Spanish and taught at 바카라사이트 universities of Rome and Naples as well as 바카라사이트 University of California, Los Angeles and Stanford University.

For many years, Professor Nunberg left 바카라사이트 academy to work as a principal scientist at 바카라사이트 Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, developing linguistic technologies such as an early autocorrect function named ¡°Trollope¡± after 바카라사이트 Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope. Yet he ended his career as an adjunct full professor at ¡°바카라사이트 I School¡±, 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley¡¯s School of Information.

¡°He was a sparkling intellect who brought humanity and humour to his teaching and scholarship,¡± said Anno Saxenian, 바카라사이트 school¡¯s former dean. ¡°His collegiality and wisdom helped to shape 바카라사이트 School of Information for more than a decade.¡±

Although he also did??in fields such as ¡°semantics and pragmatics¡±, ¡°text classification¡± and ¡°normative grammar¡±, Professor Nunberg found a far wider audience with his language commentary on National Public Radio over more than three decades. This included his much anticipated ¡°Word of 바카라사이트 Year¡± segments, which on different occasions flagged up ¡°selfie¡±, ¡°normal¡±, ¡°nationalist¡± and, in 2019, ¡°disinformation¡±.

His lively and popular books on language included?Going Nucular: Language, Politics and Culture in Controversial Times?(2004), Talking Right:?How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show?(2006) and?Ascent of 바카라사이트 A-Word:?Assholism, 바카라사이트 First Sixty Years?(2012).

Often called as an expert witness in court cases involving matters of language, Professor Nunberg appeared for 바카라사이트 plaintiffs against 바카라사이트 Washington Redskins American football team, where he offered evidence that 바카라사이트 term ¡°redskin¡± was ¡°inevitably associated with contempt, derision, condescension or sentimental paeans to 바카라사이트 noble savage¡±. He served as chair of 바카라사이트 usage panel of 바카라사이트?American Heritage Dictionary?and produced entertaining analyses of 바카라사이트 pros and cons of Wikipedia and?바카라사이트 many flaws of 바카라사이트 Google Books metadata ¨C ¡°a mishmash wrapped in a muddle wrapped in a mess¡± ¨C where, for example, Sigmund Freud was listed as 바카라사이트 author of a guide to an internet interface.

Professor Nunberg died of brain cancer on 11 August and is survived by his wife Kathleen and daughter Sophie.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com