Humphrey Tonkin
Encyclopedia
Humphrey R. Tonkin is professor of English, president emeritus of the University of Hartford
in Connecticut, and a dedicated Esperantist
. Born in Truro
, UK, Tonkin is a dual citizen of the U.K. and the U.S. He earned his undergraduate degree from Cambridge University and his PhD from Harvard University
. His academic specialities include the English Renaissance
and Edmund Spenser
, as well as language use and international languages.
As a professor of the University of Pennsylvania
, Tonkin in 1970 received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. In 1974 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
for a research year at Oxford University. The years 1980-81 he spent as a guest professor at Columbia University
; in 1983 he became president of the Potsdam College
of the State University of New York
. From 1989 he was president of the University of Hartford. In 2006 he received the Cassandra Pyle Award for Leadership and Collaboration in International Education and Exchange. He currently teaches Shakespeare and Development of Theatre at the University of Hartford's Hartt School.
As an Esperantist, Tonkin has written and translated numerous works in and about the language. Between 1974 and 1980 as well as between 1986 and 1989 he was president of the Universal Esperanto Association. In 1983 he was among the founders of the Esperantophone Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino
(AIS). Tonkin is also a member of the Akademio de Esperanto
.
Tonkin is one of the editors of the journal Language Problems and Language Planning
.
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
in Connecticut, and a dedicated Esperantist
Esperantist
An Esperantist is a person who speaks or uses Esperanto. Etymologically, an Esperantist is someone who hopes...
. Born in Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
, UK, Tonkin is a dual citizen of the U.K. and the U.S. He earned his undergraduate degree from Cambridge University and his PhD from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. His academic specialities include the English Renaissance
English Renaissance
The English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England dating from the late 15th and early 16th centuries to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that is usually regarded as beginning in Italy in the late 14th century; like most of northern...
and Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English...
, as well as language use and international languages.
As a professor of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Tonkin in 1970 received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. In 1974 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
for a research year at Oxford University. The years 1980-81 he spent as a guest professor at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
; in 1983 he became president of the Potsdam College
State University of New York at Potsdam
The State University of New York at Potsdam, also known as SUNY Potsdam, or, colloquially, Potsdam, is a public university located in the Village of Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, New York. Founded in 1816, it is among the 50 oldest colleges in the United States...
of the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
. From 1989 he was president of the University of Hartford. In 2006 he received the Cassandra Pyle Award for Leadership and Collaboration in International Education and Exchange. He currently teaches Shakespeare and Development of Theatre at the University of Hartford's Hartt School.
As an Esperantist, Tonkin has written and translated numerous works in and about the language. Between 1974 and 1980 as well as between 1986 and 1989 he was president of the Universal Esperanto Association. In 1983 he was among the founders of the Esperantophone Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino
Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino
The Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino is a scientific association. It was established in 1983 and had its first convention, SUS 1, around New Year 1984 at San Marino City. After the Sammarinese skeleton law on higher education had been passed the academy was officially founded on...
(AIS). Tonkin is also a member of the Akademio de Esperanto
Akademio de Esperanto
The Akademio de Esperanto is an independent body intended to control the evolution of the language Esperanto by keeping it consistent with the fundamental principles thereof. Modelled somewhat after the Académie française, it was proposed by L. L...
.
Tonkin is one of the editors of the journal Language Problems and Language Planning
Language Problems and Language Planning
Language Problems and Language Planning is a peer-reviewed linguistic academic journal published by John Benjamins Publishing Company in cooperation with the Center for Research and Documentation on World Language Problems. Its core topics are issues of language policy as well as economic and...
.
External links
- A biography in English from the University of Hartford
- An image and short article from Virginia Commonwealth University about Tonkin as a guest lecturer
- Works by Tonkin in Esperanto