TheFamousPeople

Find out more about the greatest 20th Century Linguists, including Noam Chomsky, Steven Pinker, Susie Dent, Girish Karnad and Jamie Hyneman.

Famous 20th Century Linguists

Noam ChomskyNoam Chomsky
07 December 1928, American
Linguist
Steven PinkerSteven Pinker
18 September 1954, Canadian, American
Psychologist, Linguists

Enoch PowellEnoch Powell
16 June 1912, British
 

Roland BarthesRoland Barthes
12 November 1915, French
French Literary Theorist & Philosopher

Ferdinand de SaussureFerdinand de Saussure
26 November 1857, Swiss
Linguist

Jamie HynemanJamie Hyneman
25 September 1956, American
Television presenter, Journalist, Linguist,
Girish KarnadGirish Karnad
19 May 1938, Indian
Linguist, Author, Film director, Actor,

John McWhorterJohn McWhorter
06 October 1965, American
Linguist

Susie DentSusie Dent
21 September 1967, British
Lexicographer, Linguist
Pier Paolo PasoliniPier Paolo Pasolini
05 March 1922, Italian
Film director, Writer, Actor, Poet, Screenwriter,

Julius NyerereJulius Nyerere
13 April 1922, Tanzanian
Linguist, Politician, Translator
Muhammad Tahir-ul-QadriMuhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
19 February 1951, Pakistani
Linguist, Politician, Translator, Writer

Jean-François LyotardJean-François Lyotard
10 August 1924, French
Philosopher, Philologist, Writer, Linguist,

Anne CarsonAnne Carson
21 June 1950, Canadian
Linguist, Poet, Translator, Writer, University

Amos OzAmos Oz
04 May 1939, Israeli
Writer, Linguist, Journalist, Novelist,

Luce IrigarayLuce Irigaray
03 May 1930, Belgian, French
Philosopher, Linguist, University teacher,
J. L. AustinJ. L. Austin
26 March 1911, British
Philosopher

Roman JakobsonRoman Jakobson
11 October 1896, Russian
Linguist

Robert BlyRobert Bly
23 December 1926, American
Linguist, Poet, Translator, Writer

Michael HallidayMichael Halliday
13 April 1925, Australian, British
Linguist, Philosopher, Educationist, University
Valentin InzkoValentin Inzko
22 May 1949, Austrian
Linguist, Diplomat

William LabovWilliam Labov
04 December 1927, American
Linguist
Michel ThomasMichel Thomas
03 February 1914, Polish
Linguist

Yasmina RezaYasmina Reza
01 May 1959, French
Actor, Linguist, Translator, Playwright, Novelist,

Sol PlaatjeSol Plaatje
09 October 1876, South African
Journalist
Michael VentrisMichael Ventris
12 July 1922, British
Linguist, Architect, Historian, Archaeologist

Zellig HarrisZellig Harris
23 October 1909, American
Linguist
Niki KarimiNiki Karimi
10 November 1971
Actor, Linguist, Film director, Translator,

Arthur WaleyArthur Waley
19 August 1889, British
Translator

Dell HymesDell Hymes
07 June 1927, American
Anthropologist, Linguist, University teacher,
Joseph GreenbergJoseph Greenberg
28 May 1915, American
Linguist

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Nikolai TrubetzkoyNikolai Trubetzkoy
16 April 1890, Russian
Linguist
Yuri KnorozovYuri Knorozov
19 November 1922, Russian
Linguist

Nirmal VermaNirmal Verma
03 April 1929, Indian
Linguist, Translator, Writer, Literary critic

Wolfgang IserWolfgang Iser
22 July 1926, German
Linguist, Writer, University teacher, Literary

Harry JohnstonHarry Johnston
12 June 1858, British
Botanist
Gregory RabassaGregory Rabassa
09 March 1922, American
Translator
Sandra RoelofsSandra Roelofs
23 December 1968, Georgian, Dutch
Diplomat

Zhou YouguangZhou Youguang
13 January 1906, Chinese
Chinese economist and linguist

Reynold A. NicholsonReynold A. Nicholson
18 August 1868, British
Translator

John Rupert FirthJohn Rupert Firth
17 June 1890, British
Linguist
Teun A. van DijkTeun A. van Dijk
07 May 1943
Linguist, University teacher, Sociologist

Peter LadefogedPeter Ladefoged
17 September 1925, British
Linguist

Charles Kay OgdenCharles Kay Ogden
01 June 1889, British
Linguist

Guillermo Cabrera InfanteGuillermo Cabrera Infante
22 April 1929, Cuban, Spanish, British
Linguist, Screenwriter, Translator, Essayist,

Mario PeiMario Pei
16 February 1901, Italian, American
Linguist
Julius PokornyJulius Pokorny
12 June 1887, Austrian
Linguist

William StokoeWilliam Stokoe
21 July 1919, American
Linguist
Surendranath DasguptaSurendranath Dasgupta
30 September 1887, Indian
Scholar

Archibald SayceArchibald Sayce
25 September 1846, British
Assyriologist

Luis MardenLuis Marden
25 January 1913, American
Photographer
Karl BühlerKarl Bühler
27 May 1879, German
German psychologist

Ella Cara DeloriaElla Cara Deloria
31 January 1889, American
Educator
Alexis KagameAlexis Kagame
15 May 1912, Rwandan
Philosopher

Kenneth Lee PikeKenneth Lee Pike
09 June 1912, American
Linguist

Mouloud MammeriMouloud Mammeri
28 December 1917, Algerian
Writer

Antoine MeilletAntoine Meillet
11 November 1866, French
Linguist

Dmitry LikhachovDmitry Likhachov
28 November 1906, Russian
Linguist
David Samuel MargoliouthDavid Samuel Margoliouth
17 October 1858, British
Orientalist

Bedřich HroznýBedřich Hrozný
06 May 1879, Czech
Orientalist

Kuno MeyerKuno Meyer
20 December 1858, German
Scholar

Sophus BuggeSophus Bugge
05 January 1833, Norwegian
Philologist
Sylvain LéviSylvain Lévi
28 March 1863, French
Orientalist

Julio Caro BarojaJulio Caro Baroja
13 November 1914, Spanish
Anthropologist
Louis CouturatLouis Couturat
17 January 1868, French
Logician

Tanya ReinhartTanya Reinhart
23 July 1943, Israeli
Linguist

Graziadio Isaia AscoliGraziadio Isaia Ascoli
16 July 1829, Italian
Linguist
Mary HaasMary Haas
23 January 1910, American
Linguist

John R. SwantonJohn R. Swanton
19 February 1873, American
Anthropologist
Jon EliaJon Elia
14 December 1931, Pakistani
Linguist, Philosopher, Poet, Literary critic

Karl BrugmannKarl Brugmann
16 March 1849, German
Linguist

Carl MeinhofCarl Meinhof
23 July 1857, German, Polish
Linguist
Frederic G. CassidyFrederic G. Cassidy
10 October 1907, American
Linguist

Nicholas MarrNicholas Marr
06 January 1865, Russian
Historian
Peter HebblethwaitePeter Hebblethwaite
30 September 1930, British
Priest

Rudolf ThurneysenRudolf Thurneysen
14 March 1857, Swiss
Linguist

Ștefan BaciuȘtefan Baciu
29 October 1918, Romanian
Linguist, Poet, Diplomat, Literary historian,

Vilém MathesiusVilém Mathesius
03 August 1882, Czech
Linguist
Jacob WackernagelJacob Wackernagel
11 December 1853, Swiss
Linguist
S.I. HayakawaS.I. Hayakawa
18 July 1906, Canadian, American
Politician

Hans KurathHans Kurath
13 December 1891, American
Linguist

Jerzy KuryłowiczJerzy Kuryłowicz
26 August 1895, Polish, Ukrainian
Linguist

August LeskienAugust Leskien
08 July 1840, German
Linguist
Matteo BartoliMatteo Bartoli
22 November 1873, Croatian, Italian
Linguist

Paul KretschmerPaul Kretschmer
02 May 1866, German
Linguist

Henri-Alexandre JunodHenri-Alexandre Junod
17 May 1863, Swiss
Missionary

Bagrat ShinkubaBagrat Shinkuba
12 May 1917, Georgian, Russian
Writer

Sydney LambSydney Lamb
04 May 1929, American
Professor
George Oliver CurmeGeorge Oliver Curme
14 January 1860, American
Grammarian

Alfred TozzerAlfred Tozzer
04 July 1877, American
Anthropologist
Baltasar Lopes da SilvaBaltasar Lopes da Silva
23 April 1907, Cape Verdean
Author

Lennart HellsingLennart Hellsing
05 June 1919, Swedish
Linguist, Poet, Writer, Translator, Children's
Wilhelm Meyer-LübkeWilhelm Meyer-Lübke
30 January 1861, Swiss
Linguist
Kazimieras BūgaKazimieras Būga
06 November 1879, Lithuanian
Linguist