It is with great sadness that we announce the passing on March 8, 2025 of Jeffrey Alan Siegel, UNE Professor Emeritus in Linguistics.
Jeff held a Bachelor degree from Cornell University, an MA from the University of Hawai‘i, and a PhD from the Australian National University. He subsequently taught Linguistics at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology in Lae and the University of the South Pacific in Port Vila, Vanuatu. He was recruited to the University of New England in 1987, where he supported Steve Johnson, the university’s first appointment in Linguistics, in establishing Linguistics as an independent discipline. Jeff developed foundational curricula in several subjects, including Sociolinguistics.
Jeff conducted research in several interrelated areas, including contact languages, language description and documentation, language acquisition, and the teaching of non-standard varieties in formal education. He authored six books on linguistics, ranging from theoretical questions in pidgin/creole studies, to vernacular education in the South Pacific, to Hawai‘i Creole English (with Kent Sakoda), to second dialect acquisition, to his epic grammar of the PNG language of Nama, and subsequent dictionary. The Nama grammar/dictionary stemmed from his involvement in a large project on Southern New Guinea languages in collaboration with ANU’s Professor Nick Evans and I Wayan Arka and was funded by the Australian Research Council. Jeff thrived on the opportunities to visit a wonderful part of remote PNG, and to work with enthusiastic local collaborators who shared much more than their language and culture with him. He returned to Australia with entertaining stories about hair-raising river journeys, and a respectful fascination for the linguistic complexity of Nama.
In 2013, he was elected as Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
Although his professional accomplishments were wide-ranging and substantial, what was most remarkable about Jeff was his sheer humanity; his modesty and generosity of spirit, his sense of humour, his commitment to helping others, particularly the refugee and Australian Indigenous communities, and his strong desire to make the most of every day. For as long as possible, even up until the last days of his terminal illness, he was sharing coffee with friends, corresponding with students, and updating his Nama dictionary. Such was his resilience.
Jeffrey Siegel was a talented linguist, a committed teacher, and a wonderful human being who touched the lives of many people. He leaves behind his wife Diana, three children (Ben, Ruth, and Jenny), six grandchildren, and many friends and colleagues.
Details about the memorial, including livestream, will be made available from this link when they are confirmed: https://piddingtons.com.au/tribute/jeffrey-siegel-21529/
Written by Cindy Schneider and Brian Byrne.