35.56, All: Obituary for Irene Philippaki-Warburton

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LINGUIST List: Vol-35-56. Mon Jan 08 2024. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 35.56, All: Obituary for Irene Philippaki-Warburton

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Date: 07-Jan-2024
From: Maria Sifianou [msifian at enl.uoa.gr]
Subject: Obituary for Irene Philippaki-Warburton


Irene, born in Heraklion, Crete (1938), received a B.A. from the
Department of English, University of Athens (1962) and a Ph.D. in
Linguistics from Indiana University (1966) as a Fulbright Scholar. She
taught Greek and Linguistics and was a researcher at the Center for
African Studies at Indiana University (1962-1967). She was
subsequently appointed Assistant Professor at the University of
California, Irvine (1967-1969) and taught Ancient Greek and
Linguistics. In 1970, she was appointed at Reading University, where
she taught Theoretical Linguistics, Syntax and Morphophonology. She
retired in 2004 as Professor of Linguistics. Besides, she was
Professor of General Linguistics at the University of Crete
(1989-1992) and served as a Visiting Professor at Indiana University
(1974-1975) and at the University of Crete (1982-1989).

We may start with how Irene secured her appointment at Reading
University. She came for an interview with some misgivings but with
her husband’s insistence and full support. Frank Palmer as Head of the
Department of Linguistic Science took her to lunch with other staff.
After an enjoyable discussion, she asked where and when the interview
would take place. Frank told her it was just successfully over, and
asked her to fill the post of lecturer in Theoretical Linguistics.

Equally remarkable in those days, she was the only female member of
academic staff in the Department; remarkable, but hardly remarked on,
as Irene was not marked out among her colleagues for her gender. As a
colleague, we knew her for her deep engagement in and enthusiasm for
theoretical linguistics in the Chomskyan tradition. To this she
brought her native knowledge of Greek as well as English and other
languages, and her own independence of thought. She belonged in, and
was a prominent contributor to, the formidable reputation of Frank
Palmer’s broadly eclectic Department.

As a colleague, Irene was never an empire builder, being far more
taken up with her subject; and as a teacher, her enthusiasm was
legendary and was met by great affection among generations of
students. When the Department of Linguistic Science became part of the
School of Linguistics & Applied Language Studies, she was the natural
choice for Head of the Linguistic Science Section.

And yet she did ‘build an empire’, in the best sense, involving
international colleagues and generations of her own Greek students
among many others.

Her significant achievements include her contribution to the
establishment of the
(a) International Conferences of Greek Linguistics (ICGL),  (b) Annual
Meetings of the Linguistics Department of the School of Philology of
Aristotle University,  (c) international Journal of Greek Linguistics
(which she co-edited), and  (d) Center for Greek Studies at Reading
University, which she directed. Irene also served as a scientific
advisor to the project Paideia Omogenon and coordinator of the
scientific committee of the project in Great Britain. And of course
her reputation attracted many excellent Greek students to Reading
University who wanted to study with her.

Irene was presented with a Festschrift acknowledging her achievements
at the 6th ICGL (September 2003) held appropriately enough in
Rethymnon, in her native Crete. Her colleagues at Reading noted with
pleasure how she returned buzzing with energy from that occasion.
Sadly, early in the following year, she developed serious health
problems.

While much has changed at Reading University, particularly as far as
Irene’s specialism is concerned, she will be remembered with affection
and respect by her former colleagues here, by the many more in the
wider linguistics community, and her legacy in the form of the ICGL
will endure. An event to honour her memory was held at ICGL 16.

Irene died peacefully on Monday 28 August 2023.

Michael Garman (Prof. Emeritus, Reading University) / Peter Trudgill
(Prof. Emeritus, Fribourg University)

Linguistic Field(s): Not Applicable




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