Alfred Charles Gimson

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Alfred Charles Gimson (born June 7, 1917 in London , † April 22, 1985 ibid) was a British linguist and was known for his works on English pronunciation. Gimson introduced the transcription rules used today for Received Pronunciation and is considered the leading phonetician of the second half of the 20th century.

Life

Gimson first encountered phonetics in 1939 while studying, initially with reference to French. After graduating, he was drafted into the British Army and held the rank of captain there until 1945. After the war he worked at University College London (UCL) for his then phonetics professor Daniel Jones . This offered him a position as lecturer for phonetics. In 1949 Daniel Jones retired and gave the office of Secretary of the International Phonetic Association (IPA) to Gimson, who also became editor of the journal Maître Phonétique . His task here was to translate a text written in French phonetic transcription into common English. He was later appointed President of the IPA. In 1962 Gimson's book Introduction to the pronunciation of English was published. Since then, the book has been the standard reference work for English pronunciation.

In 1966 he became Professor of Phonetics at University College London. From 1971 to 1983, Gimson headed the phonetics and linguistics department at UCL.

Gimson worked for the BBC in the 1960s with short contributions on pronunciation and intonation . He went on numerous language trips through Europe. His works, English Pronunciation Practice and A Practical Cours of English Pronunciation: A Perceptual Approach, dealt with teaching proper pronunciation (English as a foreign language).

In the early 1960s, a department for linguistics was established at UCL in addition to the department for phonetics . In 1973 both departments were merged and Gimson was transferred to the management. Gimson played a not insignificant role in making it possible to obtain a recognized degree in speech therapy . Previously, it was only possible to obtain a license for speech therapy.

Gimson didn't want to be addressed by his full name. As a writer, broadcaster and editor, he preferred AC Gimson; his friends called him Gim.

In later years Gimson suffered from heart problems. In 1985 he died of a heart attack.

Fonts

AC Gimson was among other things co-author and editor of Maître Phonétique and wrote numerous important works as a linguist.

  • Introduction to the pronunciation of English. Arnold, London 1962.
  • with GF Arnold: English Pronunciation Practice. University of London Press, London 1965.
  • A Practical Course of English pronunciation: a perceptual approach. Arnold, London 1975.
  • as publisher: English pronouncing dictionary. Dent, London 1977.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Gimson, Alfred Charles
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gimson, AC
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British English and university professor
DATE OF BIRTH June 7, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH April 22, 1985
Place of death London