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. Linguis ...

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. Mayan ...

, 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 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 St ...

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 abandon ...

, attended by

Linda Schele Linda Schele (October 30, 1942 – April 18, 1998) was an American Mesoamerican archaeologist who was an expert in the field of Maya epigraphy and iconography. She played an invaluable role in the decipherment of much of the Maya hieroglyphs. She ...

and Nicholai Grube. After taking a post as a linguistics professor at the

University of Texas in 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 ...

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 Unive ...

and the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, 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 org ...

, and training more than 100

s who have since gone on to work in various fields and are part of the first Maya 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 ind ...

* 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