Richard Coates

English linguist Richard CoatesBorn16 April 1949 (1949-04-16) (age 77)Grimsby, LincolnshireCitizenshipUnited KingdomEducationUniversity of CambridgeKnown forHistorical linguisticsPhilology of northern and western European languages Onomastics, especially place-names, theory of names and namingScientific careerFieldsLinguisticsWorkplacesUniversity of the West of England, Bristol (previously at University of Sussex)Doctoral advisorJohn TrimOther academic advisorsPieter A. M. Seuren, Erik C. Fudge, Roy A. Wisbey, Peter Rickard, Martin Harris Richard Coates (born 16 April 1949, in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and educated at Wintringham School) is an English linguist. He was professor of Linguistics (alternatively professor of Onomastics) at the University of the West of England, Bristol, now emeritus. Career From 1977 to 2006 he taught at the University of Sussex, where he was professor of linguistics (1991–2006) and Dean of the School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences (1998–2003). From 1980 to 1989 he was assistant secretary and then secretary of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain. He was honorary director of the Survey of English Place-Names from 2003 to 2019, having previ