Nora Clearman England (November 8, 1946 – January 26, 2022) was an American
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. Lingu ...
,
Mayanist
A Mayanist ( es, mayista) is a scholar specialising in research and study of the Mesoamerican pre-Columbian Maya civilisation. This discipline should not be confused with Mayanism, a collection of New Age beliefs about the ancient Maya.
May ...
, and Dallas TACA Centennial Professor at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
. Her research focused on the grammar of
Mayan languages
The Mayan languagesIn linguistics, it is conventional to use ''Mayan'' when referring to the languages, or an aspect of a language. In other academic fields, ''Maya'' is the preferred usage, serving as both a singular and plural noun, and as ...
and contemporary Mayan language politics.
Education and career
England graduated from
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United ...
with a B.A. in 1967 and the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in 1975 with an M.A. and a Ph.D.
While there, she led a workshop and field visit to
Iximche
Iximcheʼ () (or Iximché using Spanish orthography) is a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeological site in the western highlands of Guatemala. Iximche was the capital of the Late Postclassic Kaqchikel Maya kingdom from 1470 until its abandonm ...
, attended by
Linda Schele and Nicholai Grube.
After taking a post as a linguistics professor at the
University of Texas in Austin in 2001, she became the founding director of the Center for Indigenous Languages of Latin America (CILLA). The University of Texas hosts England's Mayan Language Collection.
England's previous experiences include teaching positions at
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...
and the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...
, and training more than 100
Mayanist
A Mayanist ( es, mayista) is a scholar specialising in research and study of the Mesoamerican pre-Columbian Maya civilisation. This discipline should not be confused with Mayanism, a collection of New Age beliefs about the ancient Maya.
May ...
s who have since gone on to work in various fields and are part of the first
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...
generation able to receive substantial postsecondary education.
England died on January 26, 2022, at the age of 75.
Awards and honors
* 1993-1998
MacArthur Fellows Program
The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 indi ...
* In 2017, England was inducted as a
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of the
Linguistic Society of America
The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) is a learned society for the field of linguistics. Founded in New York City in 1924, the LSA works to promote the scientific study of language. The society publishes three scholarly journals: '' Language'' ...
.
Works
"Issues in comparative argument structure analysis in Mayan narratives'" ''Preferred argument structure: grammar as architecture for function'', Editors John W. Du Bois, Lorraine Edith Kumpf, William J. Ashby, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2003,
"Mayan efforts toward language preservation" ''Endangered languages: language loss and community response'', Editors Lenore A. Grenoble, Lindsay J. Whaley, Cambridge University Press, 1998,
"Control and Complementation at Kusaal" ''Current approaches to African linguistics'', Volume 4, Editor David Odden, Walter de Gruyter, 1987,
* ''A grammar of Mam, a Mayan language'', University of Texas Press, 1983,
*"Space as a Mam Grammatical Theme", ''Papers in Mayan linguistics'', Editor Nora C. England, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1978,
References
Bibliography
*
External links
"Nora C. England" ''Scientific Commons''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:England, Nora
2022 deaths
1946 births
Linguists from the United States
University of Texas at Austin faculty
University of Iowa faculty
Mayanists
American Mesoamericanists
Women Mesoamericanists
Linguists of Mesoamerican languages
20th-century Mesoamericanists
MacArthur Fellows
Women linguists
Fellows of the Linguistic Society of America