John Bendor-Samuel
Encyclopedia
John Theodore Bendor-Samuel (9 June 1929 - 6 January 2011) was an evangelical Christian
missionary
and linguist
who furthered Bible translation work into African languages
, as well as making significant contributions to the study of African linguistics. Amongst his friends and colleagues he was widely known by his initials, JBS.
He had an instrumental role in the founding of Wycliffe UK; the West Africa Linguistics Society and the Forum of Bible Agencies. He pioneered SIL International
's work in several countries in West Africa.
on 9 June 1929, the son of Rev. Theodore Harold and Dorothy Ruth Bendor-Samuel. Both of his parents were church ministers, and his father's ministry commitments led the family to move several times during the early years of John’s life: first to Winchester
when he was 2 years old, then to Hereford
in 1945, followed by a move to West Norwood
4 years later. John himself embraced evangelical Christianity at a young age, and was baptised in June 1943.
The academic dedication he was to show in later life was evident from an early age. His father recalled how as a young boy he used to open his schoolbooks and start his homework as soon as he got home from lessons. This commitment to study continued and at the end of secondary school, he was accepted into Oxford University to study history.
Between his secondary education and attending university, Bendor-Samuel had to spend two years doing National Service
in the army. As he felt called by God
to go into mission work in later life, he expressed a desire to spend his period of service overseas, but this request was declined several times due to his usefulness as an instructor in England. Eventually, he decided to resign from his position, and was able to spend the second year of his National Service in the Middle East
.
After his National Service was completed, he began studying for his undergraduate degree in history at Christ Church, Oxford
. He graduated in 1952 and, spurred by a desire to work in a Bible teaching position oversees, he moved to London University to work towards two postgraduate diplomas, firstly in Education and then in Theology.
As part of this position, Bendor-Samuel essentially turned his attic bedroom into the UK office of Wycliffe Bible Translators
. With the help of his brother David, he also bought a motorcycle and side-car, which he used to travel around areas near London promoting the work of Wycliffe and searching for a location for the next year's course.
Following the 1954 SIL course, which was held in Chigwell
, Essex, Bendor-Samuel decided to join Wycliffe Bible Translators. Encouraged to engage in further linguistics study to equip him for work with Wycliffe, he enrolled on a one-year MA course at the School of Oriental and African Studies
before studying for a PhD
in Linguistics. Throughout this period, he was also responsible for continued administrative work for Wycliffe from his bedroom.
In January 1955, Bendor-Samuel became engaged to fellow Wycliffe member Pamela Moxham. After their first meeting at the SIL course in 1953, Moxham and Bendor-Samuel had remained friends, with her teaching him some phonetics, and him teaching her how to drive. Initially hesitant about marriage, the new certainty about his future had encouraged Bendor-Samuel to propose. The ceremony took place during that year's SIL course.
As Bendor-Samuel had chosen the Jebero language
of Peru
as the subject of his PhD, the newly-married couple travelled to South America in 1955, where they would spend several years working with SIL International. After a year in Peru, collecting phonological and grammatical data on the language and helping to devise an alphabet, they returned to England, where John spent eighteen months working on his thesis. Following his viva
in 1958, he returned to South America with Pam, this time to Mato Grosso
, Brazil to study the Terena language
. During his years in Peru and Brazil, Bendor-Samuel continued to be involved in the annual SIL courses in England.
ian language assistant who interrupted a Council meeting during the 1959 summer course, SIL president George Cowan
decided that linguistic and Bible translation work should commence in Africa. Bendor-Samuel was chosen to conduct the initial survey work, and set off for Africa in June 1960. During this initial six-week journey, he visited language groups in Senegal
, Portuguese Guinea
, Sierra Leone
, Liberia
and Ghana
.
This initial survey work convinced the Wycliffe International Conference about the idea of expanding their work into Africa, and Bendor-Samuel was chosen to direct this initiative. In November 1961, he returned to Africa on a more permanent basis. The Bendor-Samuels spent the next 20 years living in Africa, first in Ghana and then in Nigeria, but returning to the UK for three months each year to run the SIL training course.
A crucial part of Bendor-Samuel's work during his early years in Africa was making contact with key governmental and educational figures. The flourishing of the scholarly study of linguistics in Africa, with the emergence of new university departments, meant that he was able to forge working relationships with many African scholars. The first such agreement came in December 1961, with the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana
, and a similar agreement was reached with the University of Nigeria
soon afterwards.
When Wycliffe teams were forced to temporarily leave Nigeria due to the breakout of Civil War
in 1967, Bendor-Samuel used this as an opportunity to supervise the start of SIL work in other west African countries. Later that year, Bendor-Samuel reached an agreement with the University of Cameroon
, allowing some workers to be re-allocated to that country with official support. An encounter with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, allowed him to initiate linguistics work in that country as well. By 1969, SIL were also working in Togo
. During the 1970s, Bendor-Samuel served as SIL's Africa Area Director. In this role, he was responsible for initiating and guiding SIL work further afield on the continent, in 13 further countries including Ethiopia
, Sudan
, Kenya
, Burkina Faso
, Senegal
and the Central African Republic
.
Bendor-Samuel later described the approach he took in exploring possibilities for expansion into new countries:
As well as his supervisory role, Bendor-Samuel was himself involved in linguistic research in Africa, primarily into several Gur
and Benue–Congo languages. He also founded the West Africa Linguistics Society in 1965, continuing to serve on their council until 1999 and editing their Journal of West African Languages
(JWAL) between 1982 and 1993.
, making the 1983 SIL course the last one he directed. The position involved him speaking frequently at conferences, as well as visiting various SIL branches worldwide. Notably, he was invited to speak at the Second International Congress on World Evangelization
in Manila in 1989.
In 1990 he was a co-founder of the Forum of Bible Agencies, which he established with Fergus MacDonald from the United Bible Societies
in an attempt to promote greater cooperation among agencies working in Bible translation and distribution.
In 1992, he was elected Director of Wycliffe Bible Translators in the UK, but continued to be involved in the running of the Forum of Bible Agencies, as well as participating in several international conferences. During his term as Director, Bendor-Samuel introduced a number of initiatives, including a model for institutional funding for literacy and language development work; although this project did not have much of an impact in the UK, it was adopted successfully in other European countries. He also introduced a scheme called 'Vision 20', which connected churches in Britain with specific Bible translation projects that they could support. Now operating under the name 'In Focus', this programme continues to be an important part of Wycliffe UK's work. Later, Bendor-Samuel simultaneously served as the president of Wycliffe International. His terms in both of these roles concluded in 1999.
In 2000, he was appointed to the role of Wycliffe Africa Area director, to encourage African churches and organisations to support Bible translation in their countries and beyond.
For the final few years of his life, Bendor-Samuel was working in SIL’s Africa archives, conducting research into the development of the organisation in that continent.
on the evening of 6 January 2011. He is survived by his wife and their 5 children and 15 grandchildren.
The Forum of Bible Agencies International wrote "Few others saw with such clarity and felt with such passion the challenge to render the Word of God into the heart language of the world’s people groups."
John Bendor-Samuel had a particular impact in Africa, where his promotion of national organisations encouraged the establishment of several Wycliffe organisations across the continent. The Nigeria Bible Translation Trust emerged in 1976, and the Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation was founded three years later. Local translation organisations have also appeared. He also encouraged a number of African linguists, particularly through the West Africa Linguistic Society. He has vigorously encouraged and promoted the formation of national Bible translation organizations in African countries and has promoted partnerships between SIL International and governmental and non-governmental organizations, University departments, church and mission organizations. Bendor-Samuel's belief in the importance of training nationals in linguistic work was underscored by his experiences during the Nigerian Civil War, later writing:
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
who furthered Bible translation work into African languages
African languages
There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa in several major language families:*Afro-Asiatic spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel...
, as well as making significant contributions to the study of African linguistics. Amongst his friends and colleagues he was widely known by his initials, JBS.
He had an instrumental role in the founding of Wycliffe UK; the West Africa Linguistics Society and the Forum of Bible Agencies. He pioneered SIL International
SIL International
SIL International is a U.S.-based, worldwide, Christian non-profit organization, whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand linguistic knowledge, promote literacy, translate the Christian Bible into local languages,...
's work in several countries in West Africa.
Early life and education
John Bendor-Samuel was born in the British seaside town of WorthingWorthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
on 9 June 1929, the son of Rev. Theodore Harold and Dorothy Ruth Bendor-Samuel. Both of his parents were church ministers, and his father's ministry commitments led the family to move several times during the early years of John’s life: first to Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
when he was 2 years old, then to Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
in 1945, followed by a move to West Norwood
West Norwood
West Norwood is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth.It is primarily a residential suburb of south London but with some light industry near Knights Hill in the south....
4 years later. John himself embraced evangelical Christianity at a young age, and was baptised in June 1943.
The academic dedication he was to show in later life was evident from an early age. His father recalled how as a young boy he used to open his schoolbooks and start his homework as soon as he got home from lessons. This commitment to study continued and at the end of secondary school, he was accepted into Oxford University to study history.
Between his secondary education and attending university, Bendor-Samuel had to spend two years doing National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the army. As he felt called by God
Calling (religious)
A calling, in the religious sense of the word, is a religious vocation that may be professional or voluntary and, idiosyncratic to different religions, may come from another person, from a divine messenger, or from within oneself.-History:The idea of a vocation or "calling" has played a...
to go into mission work in later life, he expressed a desire to spend his period of service overseas, but this request was declined several times due to his usefulness as an instructor in England. Eventually, he decided to resign from his position, and was able to spend the second year of his National Service in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
After his National Service was completed, he began studying for his undergraduate degree in history at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. He graduated in 1952 and, spurred by a desire to work in a Bible teaching position oversees, he moved to London University to work towards two postgraduate diplomas, firstly in Education and then in Theology.
Linguistics training and the move abroad
In 1953, while studying for his diploma in theology, he attended a training course run by the Summer Institute of Linguistics at the London Bible College. The first course of its kind in the UK, it was designed to equip prospective and current missionaries to better acquire proficiency in non-European languages. Despite the current pressures on his time, the course appealed to Bendor-Samuel as he was aware of the importance of language learning skills for missionaries. He also had memories of his shortcomings in the discipline earlier in life, remarking that his school language lessons had been "dismal and depressing" and jokingly admitting that he did not know "the difference between a glottal stop and a bus stop". Unable to afford the residential fee for the course, he lived at his parents' house in West Norwood, cycling to and from the College each day and working on completing his theology diploma when he got home at night. By the end of the course, he discovered that he enjoyed linguistics, and was invited to take on a role of organising and publicising the same course for the following year.As part of this position, Bendor-Samuel essentially turned his attic bedroom into the UK office of Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators is an interdenominational organization mandated to making a translation of the Bible in every living language in the world, especially for cultures with little existing Christian influence. Wycliffe was founded in 1942 by William Cameron Townsend and is associated with...
. With the help of his brother David, he also bought a motorcycle and side-car, which he used to travel around areas near London promoting the work of Wycliffe and searching for a location for the next year's course.
Following the 1954 SIL course, which was held in Chigwell
Chigwell
Chigwell is a civil parish and town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 11.6 miles north east of Charing Cross. It is served by two London Underground stations and has a London area code.-Etymology:According to P. H...
, Essex, Bendor-Samuel decided to join Wycliffe Bible Translators. Encouraged to engage in further linguistics study to equip him for work with Wycliffe, he enrolled on a one-year MA course at the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
before studying for a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Linguistics. Throughout this period, he was also responsible for continued administrative work for Wycliffe from his bedroom.
In January 1955, Bendor-Samuel became engaged to fellow Wycliffe member Pamela Moxham. After their first meeting at the SIL course in 1953, Moxham and Bendor-Samuel had remained friends, with her teaching him some phonetics, and him teaching her how to drive. Initially hesitant about marriage, the new certainty about his future had encouraged Bendor-Samuel to propose. The ceremony took place during that year's SIL course.
As Bendor-Samuel had chosen the Jebero language
Jebero language
Jebero is an indigenous American language spoken by the Jebero people of Peru. It is only spoken by older adults, though there is interest in reviving the language....
of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
as the subject of his PhD, the newly-married couple travelled to South America in 1955, where they would spend several years working with SIL International. After a year in Peru, collecting phonological and grammatical data on the language and helping to devise an alphabet, they returned to England, where John spent eighteen months working on his thesis. Following his viva
Viva
Vive, Viva and can refer to:-Arts and entertainment:*Viva , a Warhol "superstar"*Viva La Vida, an iconic artwork by Frida Kahlo, the title meaning...
in 1958, he returned to South America with Pam, this time to Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
, Brazil to study the Terena language
Terêna language
Terêna or Etelena is spoken by 15,000 Brazilians. The language has a dictionary and written grammar. Many Terênan people have low Portuguese proficiency. It is spoken in Mato Grosso do Sul...
. During his years in Peru and Brazil, Bendor-Samuel continued to be involved in the annual SIL courses in England.
The beginning of work in Africa
Bendor-Samuel's first visit to Africa, where his most extensive and influential work occurred, was in 1960. In response to requests from various African church leaders, and following a particularly emotive plea from a GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian language assistant who interrupted a Council meeting during the 1959 summer course, SIL president George Cowan
George Cowan
George A. Cowan is an American physical chemist, a businessman and philanthropist. He conducted early research in the Manhattan Project. George served 39 years at Los Alamos National Laboratory as director of chemistry, associate director of research and senior laboratory fellow. He participated...
decided that linguistic and Bible translation work should commence in Africa. Bendor-Samuel was chosen to conduct the initial survey work, and set off for Africa in June 1960. During this initial six-week journey, he visited language groups in Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea was the name for what is today Guinea-Bissau from 1446 to September 10, 1974.-History:...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
This initial survey work convinced the Wycliffe International Conference about the idea of expanding their work into Africa, and Bendor-Samuel was chosen to direct this initiative. In November 1961, he returned to Africa on a more permanent basis. The Bendor-Samuels spent the next 20 years living in Africa, first in Ghana and then in Nigeria, but returning to the UK for three months each year to run the SIL training course.
A crucial part of Bendor-Samuel's work during his early years in Africa was making contact with key governmental and educational figures. The flourishing of the scholarly study of linguistics in Africa, with the emergence of new university departments, meant that he was able to forge working relationships with many African scholars. The first such agreement came in December 1961, with the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian universities and tertiary institutions. It is one of the best universities in Africa and by far the most prestigious in West Africa...
, and a similar agreement was reached with the University of Nigeria
University of Nigeria
The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Founded in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has four campuses – Nsukka, Enugu and Ituku-Ozalla – located in Enugu State and one in Aba, Abia...
soon afterwards.
When Wycliffe teams were forced to temporarily leave Nigeria due to the breakout of Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
in 1967, Bendor-Samuel used this as an opportunity to supervise the start of SIL work in other west African countries. Later that year, Bendor-Samuel reached an agreement with the University of Cameroon
University of Yaoundé
The University of Yaoundé is a leading university in Cameroon, located in Yaoundé.It was built with the help of France and opened in 1962 as the Federal University of Yaoundé, dropping the "Federal" in 1972 when the country was reorganized....
, allowing some workers to be re-allocated to that country with official support. An encounter with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, allowed him to initiate linguistics work in that country as well. By 1969, SIL were also working in Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
. During the 1970s, Bendor-Samuel served as SIL's Africa Area Director. In this role, he was responsible for initiating and guiding SIL work further afield on the continent, in 13 further countries including Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
and the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
.
Bendor-Samuel later described the approach he took in exploring possibilities for expansion into new countries:
As well as his supervisory role, Bendor-Samuel was himself involved in linguistic research in Africa, primarily into several Gur
Gur languages
The Gur languages, also known as Central Gur, belong to the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 70 languages belonging to this group. They are spoken in Burkina Faso, southern Mali, northeastern Côte d'Ivoire, northern Ghana, northern Togo, northwestern Benin, and southwestern Niger.Like most...
and Benue–Congo languages. He also founded the West Africa Linguistics Society in 1965, continuing to serve on their council until 1999 and editing their Journal of West African Languages
Journal of West African Languages
The Journal of West African Languages is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to the study of West African languages. It is the official publication of the West African Linguistic Society.- History :...
(JWAL) between 1982 and 1993.
Leadership
From 1984, Bendor-Samuel held a number of important leadership positions, beginning with a seven-year term as Executive Vice-President of SIL Internation. This role necessitated a move to Dallas, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, making the 1983 SIL course the last one he directed. The position involved him speaking frequently at conferences, as well as visiting various SIL branches worldwide. Notably, he was invited to speak at the Second International Congress on World Evangelization
Second International Congress on World Evangelization
The Second International Congress on World Evangelization, often called "Lausanne II" or "Lausanne '89" was held in Manila.The conference is noted for producing the Manila Manifesto, a renewed and expanded commitment to the Lausanne Covenant, an influential document in modern Evangelical...
in Manila in 1989.
In 1990 he was a co-founder of the Forum of Bible Agencies, which he established with Fergus MacDonald from the United Bible Societies
United Bible Societies
The United Bible Societies is a worldwide association of Bible societies. In 1946 delegates from 13 countries formed the UBS, as an effort to coordinate the activities of the bible societies. The first headquarters were London and in Geneva...
in an attempt to promote greater cooperation among agencies working in Bible translation and distribution.
In 1992, he was elected Director of Wycliffe Bible Translators in the UK, but continued to be involved in the running of the Forum of Bible Agencies, as well as participating in several international conferences. During his term as Director, Bendor-Samuel introduced a number of initiatives, including a model for institutional funding for literacy and language development work; although this project did not have much of an impact in the UK, it was adopted successfully in other European countries. He also introduced a scheme called 'Vision 20', which connected churches in Britain with specific Bible translation projects that they could support. Now operating under the name 'In Focus', this programme continues to be an important part of Wycliffe UK's work. Later, Bendor-Samuel simultaneously served as the president of Wycliffe International. His terms in both of these roles concluded in 1999.
In 2000, he was appointed to the role of Wycliffe Africa Area director, to encourage African churches and organisations to support Bible translation in their countries and beyond.
For the final few years of his life, Bendor-Samuel was working in SIL’s Africa archives, conducting research into the development of the organisation in that continent.
Death
Bendor-Samuel died in hospital following a car accident near his home in Studley GreenStudley Green
Studley Green is a hamlet located on the A40 between Piddington and Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire, England. The term 'Studley Green' is also used to collectively refer to the four adjacent hamlets of Studley Green, Horsleys Green, Beacon's Bottom and Water End....
on the evening of 6 January 2011. He is survived by his wife and their 5 children and 15 grandchildren.
Influence and legacy
The executive director of SIL International, Freddy Boswell, asserted that "few people have impacted global language development and Bible translation over the last half century as did our beloved friend and colleague, Dr. John Bendor-Samuel".The Forum of Bible Agencies International wrote "Few others saw with such clarity and felt with such passion the challenge to render the Word of God into the heart language of the world’s people groups."
John Bendor-Samuel had a particular impact in Africa, where his promotion of national organisations encouraged the establishment of several Wycliffe organisations across the continent. The Nigeria Bible Translation Trust emerged in 1976, and the Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation was founded three years later. Local translation organisations have also appeared. He also encouraged a number of African linguists, particularly through the West Africa Linguistic Society. He has vigorously encouraged and promoted the formation of national Bible translation organizations in African countries and has promoted partnerships between SIL International and governmental and non-governmental organizations, University departments, church and mission organizations. Bendor-Samuel's belief in the importance of training nationals in linguistic work was underscored by his experiences during the Nigerian Civil War, later writing:
"Although from the beginning we had tried to train West Africans, particularly Nigerians, it was the difficulties that we encountered with the civil war and then later in the year following it with getting visas that forced us to give much greater attention and priority to this aspect of our work".
Publications
In total, Bendor-Samuel wrote one book, co-authored another, contributed several articles to academic journals and wrote 14 articles on Niger–Congo language groups for the Encyclopedia Britannica.As editor
- Ten Nigerian Tone Systems (Jos and Kano: Institute of Linguistics and Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages, 1974)
As author
- The Verbal Piece in Jebero (New York: Linguistic Circle of New York, 1961)
- (with Paul E. and Ingeborg Meier) A Grammar of Izi, an Igbo Language (Norman: Summer Institute of Linguistics of the University of Oklahoma, 1975)
- (with Keir Hansford and Ronald Stanford) An Index of Nigerian Languages (Ghana: Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1976)
- John Bendor-Samuel, Rhonda Hartell, 1989, The Niger–Congo Languages: a classification and description of Africa's largest language family. University Press of America. ISBN 0819173762, ISBN 9780819173768
- Encyclopædia Britannica articles on African languages: http://www.britannica.com/bps/user-profile/4338 Retrieved Jan 24, 2011
- John Bendor-Samuel bibliography at SIL International
Journal and book articles
- 'Some problems of segmentation in the phonological analysis of Tereno', WORDWORD (journal)WORD is a linguistics academic journal published three times a year by the International Linguistic Association....
, 16 (1960) - 'Stress in Terena', Transactions of the Philological SocietyTransactions of the Philological SocietyTransactions of the Philological Society is a linguistics journal published three times a year by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Philological Society. It has appeared since 1854, making it the oldest scholarly linguistics journal...
(1963) - 'A structure-function description of Terena phrases', Canadian Journal of LinguisticsCanadian Journal of LinguisticsCanadian Journal of Linguistics is the official peer reviewed journal of the Canadian Linguistic Association, published since 1954. It is published three times a year and contains articles and reviews on all aspects of linguistics. Its current editors are Prof...
, 8 (1963) - 'The Grusi sub-group of the Gur languages', Journal of West African LanguagesJournal of West African LanguagesThe Journal of West African Languages is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to the study of West African languages. It is the official publication of the West African Linguistic Society.- History :...
, 2 (1965) - 'Problems in the analysis of sentences and clauses in Bimoba', WORDWORD (journal)WORD is a linguistics academic journal published three times a year by the International Linguistic Association....
, 21 (1965) - (with W.A.A. Wilson, Evangelina Arana and Morris Swadesh) 'A preliminary glottochronology of Gur languages', Journal of West African LanguagesJournal of West African LanguagesThe Journal of West African Languages is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to the study of West African languages. It is the official publication of the West African Linguistic Society.- History :...
, 3 (1966) - (with Thomas Edmondson), 'Tone patterns of Etung', Journal of African Languages, 5 (1966)
- 'Some prosodic features in Terena' in C. E. Bazell (ed.), In memory of J. R. Firth (London: Longmans, 1966)
- 'Grammatical prosodies??' in Kenneth L. PikeKenneth L. PikeKenneth Lee Pike , also known during his life as Ken Pike, was an American linguist and anthropologist. He was the originator of the theory of tagmemics and coiner of the terms "emic" and "etic".-Life:...
(ed.), Tagmemic and matrix linguistics applied to selected African languages (Ann Arbor: University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, 1966) - (with Ingeborg Meier) 'Some contrasting features of the Izi verbal system', Journal of African Languages, 6 (1967)
- 'Verb clusters in Izi', Journal of West African Languages, 5 (1968)
- (with W.A.A. Wilson) 'The phonology of the nominal in Dagbani', LinguisticsLinguistics (journal)According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2010 impact factor of 0.557, ranking it 74th out of 144 journals in the category "Linguistics"....
, 52 (1969) - (with Klaus W. Spreder) 'Fortis articulation: a feature of the present continuous verb in Agbo', Linguistics, 52 (1969)
- 'Yakur syllable patterns', WORD, 25 (1969)
- 'Syntagmatic features or grammatical prosodies' in Alexandru Graur et al. (eds.), Actes du Xe Congrès International des Linguistes (Bucharest: Académie de la République Socialiste de Roumani, 1970)
- (with Esther Cressman and Donna Skitch) 'The nominal phrase in Duka', Journal of West African Languages, 8 (1971)
- (with Mona Perrin), 'A note on labialisation in Mambila' in Actes du huitième Congrès International de Linguistique Africaine, Abidjan, 24-28 mars 1969 (Abidjan: Bibliothèque Universitaire, 1971)
- 'Niger–Congo: Gur' in Linguistics in sub-Saharan Africa (The Hague: Mouton, 1971)
- (with Esther Cressman and Donna Skitch) 'Duka sentence, clause and phrase' in Duka Sentence, Clause and Phrase (Zaria: Institute of Linguistics and Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages, 1973)
- (with Robert Koops) 'The recapitulating pronouns in Kuteb', Journal of West African Languages, 9 (1974)
- (with Paul E. Meier) 'Izi' in John Bendor-Samuel (ed.), Ten Nigerian Tone Systems (Jos and Kano: Institute of Linguistics and Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages, 1974)
- 'Propositions pour un modèle grammatical approprié aux travaux sur le terrain' in Les langues sans tradition écrite: Méthodes d’enquête et de description (Paris: Société d’Études Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France, 1974)
Other
- The structure and function of the verbal piece in the Jebero language (PhD Thesis, University of London, 1958)
- 'Review of: Textos hixkaryâna, by Desmond C. Derbyshire', LinguaLinguaLingua: An International Review of General Linguistics is a peer-reviewed academic journal of general linguistics that was established in 1949 and is published by Elsevier. Its current editor-in-chief is Johan Rooryck ....
, 19 (1968) - 'Review of: Languages of Guatemala, Marvin K. Mayers, editor', LinguaLinguaLingua: An International Review of General Linguistics is a peer-reviewed academic journal of general linguistics that was established in 1949 and is published by Elsevier. Its current editor-in-chief is Johan Rooryck ....
, 19 (1968) - 'Review of: Description and classification of Siriono, a Tupi-Guarani language, by Homer L. Firestone', LinguaLinguaLingua: An International Review of General Linguistics is a peer-reviewed academic journal of general linguistics that was established in 1949 and is published by Elsevier. Its current editor-in-chief is Johan Rooryck ....
, 19 (1968)