Smith, Neil, 1939-2023

Neil Smith was a leading figure in linguistics in the UK and worldwide. Neil’s academic life showed an admirable balance between teaching, research and a commitment to promote the field of linguistics, and Chomsky’s contribution to modern linguistic theory in particular, to the general public. His research was quite unusual in that it spanned several major areas in linguistics, including syntax, phonology, semantics, pragmatics, language acquisition and the language-cognition interface. He was Head of the Linguistics Section of the Department of Phonetics and Linguistics at UCL for 34 years. During this period, the department rapidly acquired a national and international reputation. Neil also did much to promote the field of linguistics in the UK through serving on relevant national bodies. He was an inspiration for generations of students and colleagues, a charismatic leader and a highly supportive colleague and friend. His work on Chomskyan linguistics will remain a standard reference for years to come.

Posted to Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the British Academy, 22