36.889, All: Emeritus Professor Jeff Siegel

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LINGUIST List: Vol-36-889. Thu Mar 13 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.889, All: Emeritus Professor Jeff Siegel

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Date: 12-Mar-2025
From: Cindy Schneider [cschnei3 at une.edu.au]
Subject: Emeritus Professor Jeff Siegel


It is with great sadness that we announce the passing on March 8, 2025
of Jeffrey Alan Siegel, Professor Emeritus in Linguistics at the
University of New England in Armidale, Australia.
Jeff held a Bachelor degree from Cornell University, an MA from the
University of Hawai‘i, and a PhD from the Australian National
University.  He subsequently taught Linguistics at the Papua New
Guinea University of Technology in Lae and the University of the South
Pacific in Port Vila, Vanuatu. He was recruited to the University of
New England in 1987, where he supported Steve Johnson, the
university’s first appointment in Linguistics, in establishing
Linguistics as an independent discipline. Jeff developed foundational
curricula in several subjects, including Sociolinguistics.
Jeff conducted research in several interrelated areas, including
contact languages, language description and documentation, language
acquisition, and the teaching of non-standard varieties in formal
education. He authored six books on linguistics, ranging from
theoretical questions in pidgin/creole studies, to vernacular
education in the South Pacific, to Hawai‘i Creole English (with Kent
Sakoda), to second dialect acquisition, to his epic grammar of the PNG
language of Nama, and subsequent dictionary. The Nama
grammar/dictionary stemmed from his involvement in a large project on
Southern New Guinea languages in collaboration with ANU Professors
Nick Evans and I Wayan Arka, and was funded by the Australian Research
Council. Jeff thrived on the opportunities to visit a wonderful part
of remote PNG, and to work with enthusiastic local collaborators who
shared much more than their language and culture with him. He returned
to Australia with entertaining stories about hair-raising river
journeys, and a respectful fascination for the linguistic complexity
of Nama.
In 2013, he was elected as Fellow of the Australian Academy of the
Humanities.
Although his professional accomplishments were wide-ranging and
substantial, what was most remarkable about Jeff was his sheer
humanity; his modesty and generosity of spirit, his sense of humour,
his commitment to helping others, particularly the refugee and
Australian Indigenous communities, and his strong desire to make the
most of every day. For as long as possible, even up until the last
days of his terminal illness, he was sharing coffee with friends,
corresponding with students, and updating his Nama dictionary. Such
was his resilience.
Jeffrey Siegel was a talented linguist, a committed teacher, and a
wonderful human being who touched the lives of many people. He leaves
behind his wife Diana, three children (Ben, Ruth, and Jenny), six
grandchildren, and many friends and colleagues.
Details about the memorial, including livestream, will be made
available from this link when they are confirmed:
https://piddingtons.com.au/tribute/jeffrey-siegel-21529/
Cindy Schneider and Brian Byrne

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics




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