R. H. Robins facts for kids

Robert Henry Robins (who friends called Bobby) was a British linguist. He was born on July 1, 1921, and passed away on April 20, 2000. He spent his whole career at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. He worked in the department that studied sounds and languages.

Bobby studied many different parts of linguistics. He looked at how languages are structured and how old languages developed. He also helped with languages that were disappearing. He wrote two well-known books: General Linguistics and A Short History of Linguistics.

Early Life and School

Robins was born in Broadstairs, Kent, on July 1, 1921. His father was a doctor.

As a child, Robins learned French, Latin, and ancient Greek. In 1935, he won a scholarship to Tonbridge School. In 1940, he won another scholarship to New College, Oxford, to study Classics. He finished his university studies in 1948 with top grades.

During World War II, he taught Japanese to soldiers in the Royal Air Force. This experience made him very interested in the study of language. Later, in 1968, he earned a special degree called DLit from London University.

His Career in Linguistics

Robins worked for RAF Intelligence from 1942 to 1945. He was a language teacher. After university, he became a lecturer in 1948 at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). This school is part of the University of London.

John Rupert Firth was the head of his department. Firth greatly influenced Robins. In the early 1950s, Robins did research on the Yurok language. This language was spoken in northern California but is now extinct. He also studied ancient linguistics.

Robins moved up in his career at SOAS. He became a reader in 1955 and then a professor in 1966. From 1970 to 1985, he was the head of his department. He also served as the dean of the Faculty of Arts at London University from 1984 to 1986. In 1986, he was chosen as a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA).

Robins was also a research fellow at the University of California in 1951. He was a visiting professor in many places. These included Washington (1963), Hawaii (1968), and Minnesota (1971). He also taught in Florida (1975) and Salzburg (1977 and 1979).

After Retirement

After he retired, Robins focused on sharing the history of linguistics. He wrote books about this topic. He also went to many conferences for different language societies. He was an emeritus professor at London University from 1986 to 2001. He continued teaching at the University of Luton and the University of Cambridge until early 2000.

His Passing

Robins passed away at his home in Caterham on Thursday, April 20, 2000. He was 78 years old.

Groups He Belonged To

Robins was involved with many important language groups. He was president of the Societas Linguistica Europaea in 1974. He also represented Britain on the International Committee of Linguists from 1970 to 1977. He was even its president from 1977 to 1997.

At the time of his death, he was the chairman of the Henry Sweet Society for the History of Linguistic Ideas. He was also an honorary member of the Linguistic Society of America from 1981 until he passed away.

One of his most important roles was with the Philological Society. This is the oldest linguistics society still around. Robins was its secretary for 18 years (1961–1988). Later, he became its president (1988–1992). After his time as president, the society gave him a special title: President Emeritus.

After Robins died, the society created a prize in his name. It is called the R. H. Robins Prize. This prize is given for articles about language topics that the society is interested in.

Selected Books and Works

• Ancient and Medieval Grammatical Theory in Europe (1951)
• The Yurok Language (1958)
• General Linguistics: An Introductory Survey (1964)
• A Short History of Linguistics (1967)
• Diversions of Bloomsbury (1970)
• Ideen- und Problemgeschichte der Sprachwissenschaft (1973)
• Sistem dan Struktur Bahasa Sunda (1983)
• The Byzantine Grammarians: Their Place in History (1993)
• Texts and Contexts: Selected Papers on the History of Linguistics (1998)