William Craigie facts for kids
Sir William Alexander Craigie (born August 13, 1867 – died September 2, 1957) was a very smart Scottish scholar. He was a philologist, which means he studied languages and how they change over time. He was also a lexicographer, someone who writes and edits dictionaries.
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Early Life and Education
William Craigie went to the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He was a brilliant student. After his studies, he became a professor at the University of Oxford in England. From 1916 to 1925, he taught about Old English, also known as Anglo-Saxon. One of his famous students was J. R. R. Tolkien, who later wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Craigie married Jessie Kinmond Hutchen.
Working on Dictionaries
Sir William Craigie was very important in the world of dictionaries.
The Oxford English Dictionary
He was the third editor of the famous Oxford English Dictionary. This is one of the biggest and most complete dictionaries of the English language. He also helped create a special update for the dictionary in 1933.
Moving to America
In 1925, Craigie moved to the University of Chicago in the United States. His goal was to create a new dictionary for American English. This dictionary would be similar to the Oxford English Dictionary. He also taught classes on how to make dictionaries. Many future American dictionary makers learned from him. Some of his students included Clarence Barnhart and Allen Walker Read.
Other Dictionary Projects
While in Chicago, he worked on two big dictionary projects:
- The Dictionary of American English: This dictionary focused on words and phrases used specifically in the United States.
- The Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: This was a new project he started. It aimed to record old words and phrases from the Scottish language.
Craigie retired in 1936 and moved back to England. In 1942, he was chosen to be an international member of the American Philosophical Society. This is a group that honors important thinkers and scientists.
Love for Icelandic Language
Sir William Craigie was also very good at speaking Icelandic. He was an expert in a special type of Icelandic poetry called rímur. These are long, rhyming poems. He became interested in Icelandic after studying in Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen was a major center for learning about old Norse languages.
He made many important contributions to the study of rímur. He even found a 17th-century poem about a Scottish historical event called the Gowrie Conspiracy. He continued to study Icelandic poetry throughout his life.
Craigie also helped put together a complete Oxford edition of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. His wife helped by translating some tales that had never been translated into English before.
