John Henry Esling, (born 5 June 1949) is a Canadian

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

specializing in

phonetics Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...

. He is a Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

, where he taught from 1981 to 2014. Esling was president of the

International Phonetic Association The International Phonetic Association (IPA; French: ', ''API'') is an organization that promotes the scientific study of phonetics and the various practical applications of that science. The IPA's major contribution to phonetics is the Interna ...

from 2011 to 2015 and a co-editor of the 1999 ''Handbook of the International Phonetic Association''. His research primarily concerns the categorization, measurement and transcription of

voice quality The term phonation has slightly different meanings depending on the subfield of phonetics. Among some phoneticians, ''phonation'' is the process by which the vocal folds produce certain sounds through quasi-periodic vibration. This is the defini ...

and

vocal register A vocal register is a range of tones in the human voice produced by a particular vibratory pattern of the vocal folds. These registers include modal voice (or normal voice), vocal fry, falsetto, and the whistle register. Registers originate in la ...

, and the production and perception of laryngeal sounds.

Biography

Esling received a BA in History and Languages from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1971, an MA in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1972, and a PhD in Phonetics from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 1978. His teachers at Michigan included

J. C. Catford John Cunnison "Ian" Catford (26 March 1917 – 6 October 2009) was a Scottish linguist and phonetician of worldwide renown. Biography Catford was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. After his secondary and university studies, he studied phonetics. He t ...

and

Kenneth Pike Kenneth Lee Pike (June 9, 1912 – December 31, 2000) was an American linguist and anthropologist. He was the originator of the theory of tagmemics, the coiner of the terms "emic" and "etic" and the developer of the constructed language K ...

, and at Edinburgh David Abercrombie and

John Laver John David Michael Henry Laver, (20 January 1938 – 6 May 2020) was a British phonetician. He was emeritus professor of speech sciences at Queen Margaret University, and served as president of the International Phonetic Association from 1991 to ...

. After teaching at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, Esling began working at the

in 1981. He chaired its Linguistic Department between 2008 and 2013. He retired in 2014 with the title of a Professor Emeritus of Linguistics. Esling was president of the

from 2011 to 2015. He served as its Secretary from 1995 to 2003, and edited the ''

Journal of the International Phonetic Association The ''Journal of the International Phonetic Association'' (''JIPA'', ) is a peer-reviewed academic journal that appears three times a year. It is published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International Phonetic Association. It was e ...

'' from 2003 to 2011. He co-edited the 1999 ''Handbook of the International Phonetic Association'' with

Francis Nolan Francis J. Nolan is Professor of Phonetics at the University of Cambridge. Between 1993 and 1995 he was Secretary of the International Phonetic Association, and from 1999 to 2003 its Vice-President. He specialises in phonetics and phonology as wel ...

, and the 2011 18th edition of the '' Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary'' with Peter Roach and

Jane Setter Jane Setter (born 18 July 1966 in Eastbourne) is a British phonetician. She teaches at the University of Reading, where she is Professor of Phonetics. She is best known for work on the pronunciation of British English, British and Hong Kong Engl ...

. In 2009, he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Canada judges to have "made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life ...

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esling, John Phoneticians Linguists from Canada University of Victoria faculty Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada University of Michigan alumni Northeastern University alumni 1949 births Living people