T Arwyn Watkins: Pioneer in Modern Study of Linguistics

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PROFESSOR T ARWYN WATKINS, who died at his home in Swansea this month, was a pioneer in the modern study of linguistics and a leading figure in Welsh dialectology.

His book Ieithyddiaeth (Linguistics) in 1961 was the first modern analysis of Welsh and it has been of wide influence.

He took his degree in Welsh in Swansea in 1949 after a period of Army service and then did research into his native Llansamlet dialect.

He spent a year at universities in Leeds, Zurich and Rennes before being appointed a lecturer in Welsh at Aberystwyth in 1952 where he developed an influential research group.

His own articles were marked by their innovative approach to …