Michael Fortescue facts for kids

Michael David Fortescue was born on August 8, 1946, in Thornbury, United Kingdom. He is a British linguist, which means he studies languages. He is especially interested in languages spoken in the Arctic and by native people in North America.

Some of the languages he has studied include Kalaallisut (spoken in Greenland), Inuktun, Chukchi, and Nitinaht. Fortescue is famous for figuring out how ancient forms of these languages might have sounded. He has worked on the original forms of Eskaleut, Chukotko-Kamchatkan, Nivkh, and Wakashan languages.

About Michael Fortescue

Michael Fortescue moved to California with his family when he was a teenager. He attended La Jolla High School from 1956 to 1959. Later, he finished his school studies at Abingdon School in 1963.

Early Education and Teaching

In 1966, he earned a special degree in Slavic languages and literature from the University of California, Berkeley. After that, he taught Russian there from 1968 to 1970. He also completed his master's degree in Slavic languages and literature.

From 1971 to 1975, he taught English. He worked at the International Language Centre in Osaka, Japan. He also taught at the University of Aix/Marseille in France.

Becoming a Linguist

Michael Fortescue then went to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He earned his PhD in Linguistics there from 1975 to 1978. His special research was about how people generate language.

With a scholarship from Denmark, he visited the University of Copenhagen. He also did important research in Greenland from 1978 to 1979. This work was supported by the Danish Research Council for the Humanities until 1982.

Career in Copenhagen

In 1984, he became an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen. He specialized in "eskimology," which is the study of Inuit cultures and languages. He became a docent in 1989. In 1999, he became a full professor of linguistics. He retired from this role in 2011.

After Retirement

When he retired in 2011, a special issue of the journal Grønland was published in his honor. This type of publication is called a festschrift. After retiring, he moved to England. There, he became an associate of St Hugh's College. Another book was published in his honor in 2017. In 2019, he was chosen to be part of the Academia Europaea, a group of top European scholars.

He also led the Linguistic Circle of Copenhagen as chairman from 2005 to 2011.

Important Books and Research

Michael Fortescue has written several important books about languages. His book, Comparative Eskimo Dictionary, is a key resource in its field. He wrote it with Steven Jacobson and Lawrence Kaplan. His Comparative Chukotko-Kamchatkan Dictionary is also a very important work.

In his book Pattern and Process, Fortescue explores how language works. He connects his ideas to the philosophical theories of Alfred North Whitehead.

Here are some of his selected works:

• 1984. Some Problems Concerning the Correlation and Reconstruction of Eskimo and Aleut Mood Markers. This book looks at how Eskimo and Aleut languages are related.
• 1990. From the Writings of the Greenlanders: Kalaallit Atuakklaannit. This work shares insights from Greenlandic writings.
• 1991. Inuktun: An Introduction to the Language of Qaanaaq, Thule. This book introduces the Inuktun language.
• 1992. Editor. Layered Structure and Reference in a Functional Perspective. This book explores how language is built in layers.
• 1994. With Steven Jacobson and Lawrence Kaplan. Comparative Eskimo Dictionary with Aleut Cognates. This dictionary compares Eskimo languages with Aleut.
• 1998. Language Relations across Bering Strait: Reappraising the Archaeological and Linguistic Evidence. This book looks at how languages are connected across the Bering Strait.
• 2001. Pattern and Process: A Whiteheadian Perspective on Linguistics. This book discusses patterns in language.
• 2002. The Domain of Language. This work explores the scope of language.
• 2005. Comparative Chukotko-Kamchatkan Dictionary. This dictionary compares Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages.
• 2007. Comparative Wakashan Dictionary. This dictionary compares Wakashan languages.
• 2016. Comparative Nivkh Dictionary. This dictionary compares Nivkh languages.

Related Topics

• Proto-Chukotko-Kamchatkan language
• Proto-Eskaleut language
• Uralo-Siberian languages
• List of Old Abingdonians

More Information

• Michael David Fortescue, University of Copenhagen

See also

In Spanish: Michael Fortescue para niños