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W. Sidney Allen

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to set up linguistics positions in the 1960s, and in helping to found the section for linguistics (subsequently renamed 'Linguistics and Philology') at the British Academy in 1985. The University of Cambridge has a prize named after him, awarded for distinguished performance by a linguistics
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broke out in September 1939, just a month before the start of what would have been Allen's final year at Cambridge. At the time, Allen and two college friends were on an expedition to
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From 1955 until his retirement in 1982, Allen held the position of Professor of Comparative Philology at the University of Cambridge, where he worked closely with
551: 566:, after which he required at-home care; after Aenea's death, he met Diana Stroud, one of his part-time carers. The two married in 2002. He had no children. 966: 981: 976: 996: 971: 381:, as an intelligence officer and winter warfare instructor. In the spring of 1942, he was placed in command of a photographic unit of the 961: 932: 1001: 991: 437: 255: 785: 408:
While awaiting demobilisation in 1945, Allen was tasked with organising the escort of sixteen German generals, including
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During his time at SOAS, Allen met Aenea McCallum, the editorial secretary of the School’s journal, the
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He was influential in the development of several important figures in British linguistics, including
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at SOAS, a position he held until 1951, when he requested that it be converted into a lectureship in
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in 1937, and was awarded a major scholarship. As an undergraduate at Trinity, his teachers included
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thesis in 1948 under the title ‘Linguistic problems and their treatment in antiquity’, examined by
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After a year at private school, Allen was educated at a local council school before attending
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during the Second World War. The two were married from 1955 until Aenea's death in 1996.
556: 424:, Allen opted to take a 'War BA' and begin doctoral study in 1945, under the philologist 402: 374: 386: 363: 20: 820:"Chapter Xii : Trust Emoluments - Funds, Studentships, Prizes, Lectureships, Etc" 517:. He was chairman of its editorial board until his retirement from Cambridge in 1982. 484: 459:, under which name he held it until 1955. Throughout 1952, he conducted fieldwork in 390: 366:, and only barely managed to return to Cambridge in time for the beginning of term. 569:
Allen's younger brother, David (born 1927), was a local government officer with the
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For the art critic who sometimes used the pseudonym 'Sidney Allen', see
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phonology, and also conducted important work into the structure of the
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Shortly after submitting his Ph.D., Allen was appointed lecturer in
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Rather than studying for the third and final year (Part II) of the
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Bulletin of the School of Oriental & African Studies
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Photograph of Allen c.1982, from his obituary in the
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on a scholarship. On the advice of his form master,
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Linguistic problems and their treatment in antiquity
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From 1962, he was elected a fellow of 438:School of Oriental & African Studies 134: 1955; died 1996) 982:Academics of SOAS University of London 944: 303:Early life and undergraduate education 977:Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge 857: 832: 756: 720: 708: 696: 679: 664: 649: 637: 505:In 1969, along with Michael Black of 997:Linguists of Indo-European languages 972:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 967:People educated at Christ's Hospital 884: 589:On the Linguistic Study of Languages 349: 13: 870:Proceedings of the British Academy 415: 51:Proceedings of the British Academy 14: 1023: 962:Linguists from the United Kingdom 863:"William Sidney Allen: 1918-2004" 849:Brown, E.K.; Law, Vivien (2002). 576: 893: 888: 544: 511:Cambridge Studies in Linguistics 412:, to London to be interrogated. 842: 812: 774: 151: 131: 1002:Fellows of the British Academy 992:British classical philologists 1: 619: 905:. You can help Knowledge by 397:of 1945, he served with the 258:, Trinity College, Cambridge 16:English linguist (1918–2004) 7: 562:In 1995, Allen underwent a 387:Allied invasion of Normandy 385:, involved in planning the 10: 1028: 883: 782:"Professor Geoff Horrocks" 591:(inaugural lecture) (1957) 583:Phonetics in Ancient India 507:Cambridge University Press 379:occupied by British forces 332:Trinity College, Cambridge 18: 987:Scholars of Ancient Greek 463:into the dialects of the 277: 262: 251: 229: 215: 210: 200: 187: 171: 166: 162: 110: 102: 94: 76: 57: 42: 30: 609:(1968, 3rd edition 1987) 603:(1965, 2nd edition 1978) 371:Officers' Training Corps 307:Allen was born in north 538:University of Cambridge 457:Comparative Linguistics 1012:British linguist stubs 1007:20th-century linguists 571:Greater London Council 483:, a noted disciple of 446:University of Aberdeen 234:Historical linguistics 389:. From shortly after 853:. Oxford: Blackwell. 807:Brown & Law 2002 769:Brown & Law 2002 745:Brown & Law 2002 733:Brown & Law 2002 509:, Allen founded the 465:Rajasthani languages 410:Hasso von Manteuffel 362:, investigating the 344:Philological Society 336:Harold Walter Bailey 284:William Sidney Allen 32:William Sidney Allen 788:on 22 February 2012 557:counterintelligence 469:Proto-Indo-European 428:. He submitted his 403:Battle of the Bulge 375:Royal Tank Regiment 369:As a member of the 220:Classical Philology 167:Academic background 393:in 1944 until the 383:Intelligence Corps 364:Icelandic language 21:Sadakichi Hartmann 914: 913: 809:, pp. 22–25. 771:, pp. 20–25. 613:Accent and Rhythm 534:Geoffrey Horrocks 485:John Rupert Firth 320:Christ's Hospital 281: 280: 1019: 935: 928: 921: 897: 892: 885: 877: 867: 854: 836: 830: 824: 823: 816: 810: 804: 798: 797: 795: 793: 784:. 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Wells 527: 523: 522:George Hewitt 518: 516: 512: 508: 503: 501: 497: 493: 492:John Chadwick 488: 486: 482: 478: 474: 470: 466: 462: 458: 454: 449: 447: 443: 439: 435: 431: 427: 426:A. J. Beattie 423: 413: 411: 406: 404: 400: 396: 392: 388: 384: 380: 376: 372: 367: 365: 361: 357: 347: 345: 341: 337: 333: 329: 325: 321: 316: 314: 310: 300: 298: 295: 294:Indo-European 290: 285: 276: 272: 268: 265: 263:Notable works 261: 257: 254: 250: 246: 243: 242:Indo-European 239: 235: 232: 228: 225: 221: 218: 214: 211:Academic work 209: 206: 205:A. J. Beattie 203: 199: 195: 192: 190: 186: 183: 179: 176: 174: 170: 165: 161: 144:Diana Stroud 139: 138: 116: 115: 113: 109: 105: 101: 97: 93: 89: 80:22 April 2004 79: 75: 68:18 March 1918 60: 56: 52: 46: 41: 37: 29: 26: 22: 907:expanding it 900: 880: 873: 869: 850: 843:Bibliography 828: 814: 802: 790:. 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Robins 450: 419: 407: 368: 353: 317: 306: 283: 282: 270: 266: 252:Institutions 196: (1948) 193: 82:(2004-04-22) 25: 957:2004 deaths 952:1918 births 792:24 February 442:Peter Noble 434:John Brough 224:Linguistics 95:Nationality 946:Categories 833:Lyons 2006 757:Lyons 2006 721:Lyons 2006 709:Lyons 2006 697:Lyons 2006 680:Lyons 2006 665:Lyons 2006 650:Lyons 2006 638:Lyons 2006 620:References 607:Vox Graeca 601:Vox Latina 526:John Lyons 515:monographs 513:series of 313:compositor 271:Vox Graeca 267:Vox Latina 216:Discipline 173:Alma mater 103:Occupation 64:1918-03-18 502:in 1971. 475:language 473:Caucasian 461:Rajasthan 453:Phonetics 395:armistice 297:phonology 245:phonology 182:Cambridge 88:Cambridge 861:(2006). 340:Sanskrit 328:Classics 269:(1965); 238:Sanskrit 106:Academic 876:: 3–36. 444:of the 436:of the 360:Iceland 156:​ 148:​ 136:​ 128:​ 124:​ 111:Spouses 98:British 615:(1973) 597:(1962) 595:Sandhi 585:(1953) 532:, and 309:London 273:(1968) 189:Thesis 71:London 866:(PDF) 477:Abaza 430:Ph.D. 391:D-Day 150:( 146: 130:( 126: 903:stub 794:2012 440:and 354:The 77:Died 58:Born 874:138 405:. 330:at 289:FBA 36:FBA 948:: 872:. 868:. 687:^ 672:^ 657:^ 628:^ 573:. 528:, 524:, 487:. 448:. 346:. 299:. 286:, 240:, 236:, 222:, 180:, 152:m. 132:m. 934:e 927:t 920:v 909:. 822:. 796:. 247:. 66:) 62:( 23:.

Index

Sadakichi Hartmann
FBA
Black-and-white photograph of an elderly white man, wearing a grey suit and dark tie, his hair combed over to the right.
Proceedings of the British Academy
Cambridge
Alma mater
Trinity College
Cambridge
Thesis
A. J. Beattie
Classical Philology
Linguistics
Historical linguistics
Sanskrit
Indo-European
phonology
School of Oriental & African Studies, London
FBA
Indo-European
phonology
London
compositor
Christ's Hospital
Derrick Macnutt
Classics
Trinity College, Cambridge
Harold Walter Bailey
Sanskrit
Philological Society
Second World War

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