Re: RIP Larry Trask
| From: | Paul Bennett <paul-bennett@...> |
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| Date: | Tuesday, March 30, 2004, 0:33 |
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On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 10:09:26 -0500, Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>
wrote:
> An as-yet-unconfirmed post on sci.lang indicates that Larry Trask,
> well-known author and scholar of tongues, most notably Basque, passed
> away last Saturday at his home in Sussex, at the inexcusably young age
> of 59. I thought others on this list would want to know.
Damn.
He was also a level head among Nostraticists and the other pre-PIE
"clumpers", in my experience, and his replies to some posts have safely
grounded by own misguided flights of fancy before they got off the ground.
OTOH, he wasn't merely closed-minded about the whole subject, just careful
to indicate where research or logic may have been less than optimal.
What he didn't know about Basque, you didn't need to know, and he could
articulate it all with crystal clarity. He could argue compellingly,
authoritatively and, again, clearly, without resorting to the slightest
personal slight. Unless you were one of the very small number who got on
the permanent naughty list, and even then, he was the epitome of civility.
We hadn't spoken in years, but he'll be sorely missed around these parts.
Paul
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