Paul Newman (linguist)
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Paul Newman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1937 (age 88–89) |
| Known for | Hausa linguistics and lexicography |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania (B.A.), (M.A.), UCLA (Ph.D.) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Linguistics |
| Institutions | Yale University, Bayero University, University of Leiden, Indiana University |
| Notable students | Russell Schuh |
Paul Newman (born 1937) is an American linguist active in the study of African languages. He writes on the Hausa language of Nigeria and on the Chadic language family. He wrote the Modern Hausa–English Dictionary (1977), co-authored with his wife, Roxana Ma Newman, and The Hausa Language: An Encyclopedic Reference Grammar (2000). He is the founder of the Journal of African Languages and Linguistics, a journal in the field of African-language studies.
He has taught at Yale University, the University of Leiden, and the Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages at Bayero University in Kano, Nigeria. He is currently Distinguished Professor in the Department of Linguistics at Indiana University after serving two terms as chairman of the department.
Newman is a strong advocate of the theories of his mentor, Joseph Greenberg, and has published a work in defense of Greenberg's classification of African languages entitled On Being Right.
Newman, a dedicated member of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA), is also interested in the relation of language and law and is a strong advocate of civil liberties; spending a number of years volunteering for the Society as Special Counsel, Newman worked dealing mostly in online publications with copyright issues.[1] In addition to degrees in anthropology and linguistics he holds a JD (IU Bloomington, 2003)[2] and is a member of the Indiana state bar.
