William J. Samarin
William J. Samarin | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 7, 1926 |
| Died | January 16, 2020 (aged 93) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (PhD 1962) |
| Known for | work on glossolalia, the Sango language |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Linguistics |
| Institutions | University of Toronto Hartford Seminary |
| Thesis | The Gbeya language (1962) |
| Doctoral advisor | Murray B. Emeneau |
| Doctoral students | Ivan Kalmar |
William John Samarin (February 7, 1926 - January 16, 2020) was an American-born linguist and academic who was Professor at the Hartford Seminary and the University of Toronto. He is best known for his work on the language of religion, on the two central African languages Sango and Gbeya, on pidginization, and on ideophones in African languages.