Robert Burchfield
Encyclopedia
Robert William Burchfield CNZM
CBE (27 January 1923 – 5 July 2004)
was a scholar, writer, and lexicographer.
Born in Wanganui
, New Zealand
, he studied at Wanganui Technical College and Victoria University
in Wellington. After war service in the Royal New Zealand Artillery, he graduated MA from Wellington in 1948 and won a Rhodes Scholarship
to Magdalen College
, Oxford University in England
, where his preparation of an edition of the Ormulum
was supervised by J.R.R. Tolkien. C. T. Onions, then Magdalen librarian, recommended him to Dan Davin
as editor of the second
Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary
: Burchfield worked on the Supplement from 1957 to 1986. Subsequently he produced
a controversial, substantially rewritten and less prescriptivist, edition of
Modern English Usage
, the famous style guide
.
He died at the age of 81.
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
CBE (27 January 1923 – 5 July 2004)
was a scholar, writer, and lexicographer.
Born in Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, he studied at Wanganui Technical College and Victoria University
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
in Wellington. After war service in the Royal New Zealand Artillery, he graduated MA from Wellington in 1948 and won a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, Oxford University in England
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where his preparation of an edition of the Ormulum
Ormulum
The Ormulum or Orrmulum is a twelfth-century work of biblical exegesis, written by a monk named Orm and consisting of just under 19,000 lines of early Middle English verse...
was supervised by J.R.R. Tolkien. C. T. Onions, then Magdalen librarian, recommended him to Dan Davin
Dan Davin
Daniel Marcus Davin was an author who wrote about New Zealand, although for most of his career he lived in Oxford, England, working for Oxford University Press....
as editor of the second
Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
: Burchfield worked on the Supplement from 1957 to 1986. Subsequently he produced
a controversial, substantially rewritten and less prescriptivist, edition of
Modern English Usage
Fowler's Modern English Usage
A Dictionary of Modern English Usage , by Henry Watson Fowler , is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing...
, the famous style guide
Style guide
A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field...
.
He died at the age of 81.
Works
- Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary, 4 vols, 1972–1986
- The Spoken Word, 1981
- The English Language, 1985
- Studies in Lexicography, 1987
- Unlocking the English Language, 1991
- Cambridge History of the English Language, Vol. 5: English in Britain and Overseas, 1994
- (ed.) Fowler's Modern English Usage, 1998