The field of linguistics mourns the loss of one of its luminaries, Neilson Voyne Smith, who died on November 16, 2023.

Neil Smith was born in Chichester in 1939. After attending the Tavistock and Cheltenham Grammar Schools, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he obtained a BA and an MA in Modern and Medieval Languages in 1961. Having had a taste of the subject there, he went on to do a PhD in linguistics at UCL, where he undertook fieldwork-based doctoral research on the Nigerian language Nupe (published as the monograph “An Outline Grammar of Nupe” in 1967).         

Following his PhD, from 1964 to 1970, Neil served as Lecturer in West African Languages at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). It was during this period that Neil's intellectual trajectory intersected with the Harkness Fellowship, a transformative experience that allowed him to spend time at MIT and UCLA. Neil’s interests took a decidedly Chomskyan turn, and his research focus shifted from West African languages to theoretical linguistics and, in particular, language acquisition.

This shift motivated Neil to return to UCL, where he led the Linguistics section from 1972 until his retirement in 2006, and served as Head of the Department of Phonetics and Linguistics from 1983 to 1990. Neil’s was a key appointment in the history of Linguistics at UCL, in the UK, and internationally. With colleagues Deirdre Wilson and Dick Hudson, he built up a department with the kind of theoretical orientation to which he was now committed. He was instrumental in initiating an MA in Linguistics in 1973 and a single-honours Degree in Linguistics in 1977.

Neil also played an essential role in nurturing the newly developing field of cognitively grounded pragmatics, supporting the work of Deirdre Wilson (one of the founders of Relevance Theory), which led to the establishment of UCL Linguistics as the leading centre for pragmatic theory, attracting students and scholars from around the world.

Under Neil’s leadership, the Department grew from three to ten members of staff, who represented a wide range of specializations and were recruited from all over the globe. Neil once wrote that between 1972 and 1997 the Department had been able to select each new appointment from a different country. In many ways, the Department reflected (and continues to reflect) Neil’s personality: theoretically rigorous, broad in its interests, and open to the world. His contributions were commemorated with a Festschrift entitled "Language in Mind: A Tribute to Neil Smith on the Occasion of his Retirement," edited by Robyn Carston, Diane Blakemore, and Hans van de Koot.

Neil’s research interests were eclectic and yet focused in their insistence on firm theoretical grounding. He studied a number of diverse languages, including Ewe, Nupe, and British Sign Language. His research spanned theoretical syntax, language acquisition, the savant syndrome, and general linguistic theory, with a particular emphasis on the work of Noam Chomsky. His written legacy includes seminal works such as "The Acquisition of Phonology" (1973) as well as collaborative endeavours like "Chomsky: Ideas and Ideals" (1999), co-authored with Nicholas Allott. In the 1990s, Neil embarked on a remarkable collaboration with Ianthi-Maria Tsimpli to investigate the extraordinary linguistic capabilities of an autistic man named Christopher. Along with his popular works, such as "The Twitter Machine: Reflections on Language" and "Language, Bananas and Bonobos: Linguistic Problems, Puzzles and Polemics," such endeavours reflected Neil’s commitment to communicating about language beyond traditional academic boundaries.

Neil's commitment to the broader linguistic community was evident through his roles on the Society’s Council, the Linguistics panels of the SSRC and ESRC, and his presidency of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain and the Association of Heads and Professors of Linguistics. His influence was acknowledged by his election as a Fellow of the British Academy in 1999 and as an honorary member of the Linguistics Society of America in 2000. Together with his wife Saras (née Keskar, d. 2018), the couple endowed the Neil and Saras Smith Medal, awarded annually by the British Academy for lifetime achievement in the study of linguistics.

As a teacher, Neil is remembered with great fondness and some astonishment by his students. His lectures were legendary, not just for their intellectual depth but also for Neil's acerbic wit, delivered always with a straight face. It was a well-known fact among students that Neil was the only person who lectured in perfectly formed sentences, a testament to his linguistic virtuosity. His encouragement, often wrapped in a cloak of dry humour, resonated with generations of students. For instance, when advising on a position with a notoriously challenging researcher, Neil's response was characteristically candid: "Yes, that would be a very good foot in the door. But don’t forget that your foot may get stamped on." Whether describing a birthday lunch as a "bibulous picnic" or critiquing a student's work with "just a few stylistic infelicities," Neil's linguistic dexterity was unmatched.

Neil's generosity extended beyond intellectual pursuits. He never allowed students or junior staff members to pay for coffee or cakes (he had a sweet tooth: a legendary flair for flapjacks; a partiality to the honey that one of his students used to bring from Montenegro). Many of his students, especially women, found in Neil a mentor who not only demanded rigor in research but also provided unwavering support during challenging times. Neil's impact went beyond academia, influencing the personal and professional trajectories of those grappling with the delicate balance of childcare, part-time jobs, and full-time graduate studies. In reflecting on Neil's impact, one former student shared, "Neil embodied an immense intellect with such gentleness and humility. He never had anything to prove; never tried to browbeat or intimidate, though he certainly could win an argument." Neil's sparkling sense of humour, generosity, and kindness left an indelible mark on those who had the privilege of interacting with him.

And there were many. Over the years, an incredible range of linguists have been educated at UCL, with a surprising number becoming leading figures in the field. Neil was first supervisor to more than 30 Ph.D. students, who conducted research into diverse areas of linguistics, from syntax, semantics, pragmatics, morphology, to applied domains of language development and language pathology. He was second supervisor to many more, and academic advisor to countless undergraduate and graduate students throughout his career. His brilliance, compassion, dedication to rigorous inquiry, and kindness reverberate through the many lives and careers he has profoundly influenced. Neil’s intellectual contributions, compassionate mentorship, and sheer breadth and depth of knowledge have left an indelible imprint on the discipline and will continue to shape the future of linguistic inquiry.

Neil is survived by his two sons, Ivan and Amahl; and two grandsons, his family a testament to his enduring legacy.

Alexandra Perovic, Karen Froud, Ad Neeleman, Robyn Carston

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There is an opportunity to leave a tribute to Neil on the following website:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/research/linguistics/memoriam-neil-smith-1939-2023/tributes-neil-smith-1939-2023