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Obituary: Professor David Reibel

Posted on 11 March 2016

'Founding father' of York's Department of Language and Linguistic Science dies, aged 85

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P‌rofessor David Reibel, who has died at the age of 85, was a familiar figure in the University for over 45 years. He joined the ‘Department of Language’ and Vanbrugh College in 1967, when both were brand new and symbolic of York’s rapid expansion. As the Department’s specialist in English language and syntactic theory, he knew everything about the new and exciting generative linguistics emanating from MIT. Not only could he dazzle us with technical expertise in lectures and seminars, he was also a patient tutor, who helped launch the careers of linguists who are now professors with ‌international reputations.‌

 

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After a traditional first degree in German, David found his love of linguistics at Indiana University. His doctorate on the history of English won him a research assistantship on the ground-breaking ‘Survey of English Usage’ at UCL, London. Here, he met his wife Pauline, and gained a life-long affection for Britain and things British. His appointment in 1975 to the Chair of English Language at the University of Tübingen, was happily matched by an Honorary Visiting Professorship at York, where he continued to give guest lectures and less formal talks for Vanbrugh SCR, sharing his wide expertise in music, literature and the history of western thought. He retired to York with his family in 1995, so the link was never broken.

David’s research focused on English grammar (oddities and all) and the history of English linguistics. He will be best remembered for his critical editions of the works of Robert Lowth and Lindley Murray (8 and 12 volumes respectively), pioneers of English grammar teaching in the 18th century whose works shaped the education of many others: George Eliot, Charlotte Brontë and Charles Dickens among them. A representative selection of David’s shorter works can be found on his web-site: www.davidareibel.net

Notes to editors:

Written by Professor John Green.

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