From The New York Times
Geoffrey Nunberg, Expert on How Language Works, Dies at 75
By Richard Sandomir
Geoffrey Nunberg, a linguist whose elegant essays and books explained to a general audience how English has adapted to changes in politics, popular culture and technology, died on Aug. 11 at his home in San Francisco. He was 75.
Kathleen Miller, his wife, said the cause was glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.
Mr. Nunberg’s fascination with the way people communicate found expression in acclaimed books like “Going Nucular: Language, Politics, and Culture in Confrontational Times” (2001); in scholarly work in areas like the relationship between written and spoken language; and in lexicography — he was chairman of the usage panel of the American Heritage Dictionary.
Geoff Nunberg was an adjunct professor in the UC Berkeley School of Information.
