Peter Ladefoged facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Ladefoged
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Peter Ladefoged, 2004, Duncanville, Texas
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| Born | 17 September 1925 Sutton, England
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| Died | 24 January 2006 (aged 80) London, England
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Peter Ladefoged (born September 17, 1925 – died January 24, 2006) was a British expert in linguistics and phonetics. A linguist studies language, and a phonetician focuses on the sounds of speech.
He was a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1962 to 1991. His book A Course in Phonetics is a popular guide for learning about speech sounds. Another important book, The Sounds of the World's Languages, which he wrote with Ian Maddieson, is a key reference for phonetics. Peter Ladefoged also wrote books about the sounds of African languages. Before UCLA, he taught at the universities of Edinburgh in Scotland and Ibadan in Nigeria.
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Early Life and Education
Peter Ladefoged was born on September 17, 1925, in Sutton, England. He went to Haileybury College and then to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, which is part of Cambridge University. He earned his master's degree in 1951 and his PhD in Phonetics in 1959, both from the University of Edinburgh.
Exploring the Sounds of Language
Peter Ladefoged helped start the phonetics laboratory at UCLA in 1962. He was very interested in listening to and describing every sound that people use when they speak. He thought there were about 900 different consonant sounds and 200 different vowel sounds in all human languages! His research on these sounds became a big part of his famous book, The Sounds of the World's Languages. In 1966, he moved from the English Department to the new Linguistics Department at UCLA.
Working on My Fair Lady
A fun fact about Peter Ladefoged is that he was a consultant for the movie My Fair Lady. This movie is about a professor who teaches a young woman to speak properly. Peter Ladefoged wrote the special notes about speech sounds that you can see in Professor Higgins's notebook in the film. He even lent his voice for parts where Professor Higgins explains how to say vowel sounds!
International Work in Phonetics
Peter Ladefoged was also a long-time member of the International Phonetic Association. This group works to understand and record speech sounds from all over the world. He was the President of the Association from 1986 to 1991. He played a big role in keeping the International Phonetic Alphabet up to date. This alphabet is a special system for writing down every sound in any language. He also edited the Journal of the International Phonetic Association. Peter Ladefoged helped the Endangered Language Fund from the very beginning. This fund works to save languages that are at risk of disappearing.
Family Life
Peter Ladefoged married Jenny MacDonald in 1953, and they were married for over 50 years. They had three children: Lise Friedman, who is a bookseller; Thegn Ladefoged, who is an archaeologist and professor at the University of Auckland; and Katie Weiss, who is a lawyer. He also had five grandchildren: Zelda Ladefoged, Ethan Friedman, Amy Friedman, Joseph Weiss, and Catherine Weiss.
In 1970, Peter Ladefoged took part in a protest at UCLA. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing related to the event.
Later Years and Passing
Peter Ladefoged passed away on January 24, 2006, at the age of 80. He was in a hospital in London, England, while on his way home to Los Angeles after a research trip to India.
Recognitions and Awards
Peter Ladefoged received many awards and honors for his work:
- He was a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America.
- He received the Distinguished Teaching Award from UCLA in 1972.
- He was President of the Linguistic Society of America in 1978.
- He was President of the International Phonetic Association from 1987 to 1991.
- He became a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1990.
- He received a gold medal at the XIIth International Congress of Phonetic Sciences in 1991.
- He was given honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh in 1993 and Queen Margaret University in 2002.
- He received a silver medal from the Acoustical Society of America in 1994.
