H. C. Wolfart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
H. C. Wolfart
FRSC
|
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Hans Christoph Wolfart
1943 (age 81–82) Germany
|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Manitoba |
| Thesis | An Outline of Plains Cree Morphology (1969) |
Hans Christoph Wolfart, born in Germany in 1943, is a Canadian researcher and a very respected professor. He is a Distinguished Professor of Linguistics at the University of Manitoba. Linguistics is the study of language. Professor Wolfart is especially known for his important work in studying and preserving Indigenous languages.
Contents
A Life Dedicated to Language
Hans Christoph Wolfart has spent his life studying languages. He is a well-known expert in the field of linguistics. He has worked as a researcher, an editor, and a translator. His work helps us understand how languages are structured.
Early Life and Education
Wolfart studied at several famous universities. He went to the University of Freiburg in Germany. He also studied at Cornell University and Yale University in the United States. He earned his PhD from Yale in 1969. His PhD is the highest degree you can get from a university.
Studying Indigenous Languages
Professor Wolfart has written and edited over one hundred books and articles. Many of these focus on the Plains Cree language. This is an Indigenous language spoken by the Cree people. His 1973 PhD paper is still considered a very important work on Plains Cree grammar. Grammar is how words are put together to make sentences.
Recording Cree Stories
For more than 20 years, Professor Wolfart has worked with Cree elders. Elders are respected older members of a community. He has recorded, written down, and edited many important stories and texts. These texts are very valuable for understanding Cree culture and history.
Honored for His Work
In 1995, Professor Wolfart was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. This is a great honor for Canadian scholars. It means he is recognized for his outstanding contributions. In 2008, other language experts published a collection of studies to honor him. This showed how much they respected his work.
Inspiring Other Linguists
Professor Wolfart has also taught many students. Some of his students have become important linguists themselves. One notable student was Freda Ahenakew. She was a Cree linguist who worked to preserve her culture. Another student, David Pentland, became an expert on Algonquian languages. Algonquian is a large family of Indigenous languages.
