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- Biography/History <p></p> <p>Robert W. Young, linguist, was born on May 18, 1912 in Chicago, IL.Following graduation from the University of Illinois, in 1935, heenrolled in anthropology at the University of New Mexico. There hebecame interested in the Navajo language and he was invited tocollaborate with John P. Harrington of the Smithsonian Institution inthe translation of a series of primers for the Bureau of IndianAffairs. In 1939-40, he accompanied Harrington to Canada forcomparative fieldwork with four Athabaskan languages. <p></p> <p>Subsequently, during the period 1940-1971, he was employed by theBureau of Indian Affairs, first as a Specialist in Indian Languages,and after 1950, in Navajo Tribal Relations. In 1971, he joined thestaff of the Modern Languages Department at the University of NewMexico where he taught classes in Navajo Linguistics and collaboratedwith Professor Bernard Spolsky in research conducted by the NavajoReading Study. It was during this period that a grant was receivedfrom the National Endowment for the Humanities to permit Young,jointly with his longtime Navajo colleague, William Morgan Sr., toembark on a major project designed for the compilation of an extensivebilingual Navajo-English/English-Navajo dictionary and grammar. It waspublished in 1980 under the title, The Navajo Language: A Grammar andColloquial Dictionary . This work was published again in 1987 inrevised form, and this was followed in 1992 by An Analytical Lexiconof Navajo, compiled with the assistance ofSally Midgette. Both workswere published by the University of New Mexico Press. <p></p> <p>In 1968, Young wrote a history of the Navajo for publication in acommemorative edition of The Gallup Independent celebrating thecentennial of the Navajo Treaty of 1868 between the United StatesGovernment and the Navajo Tribe. During the 1950's,he compiled adetailed historical-statistical study entitled The Navajo Yearbook,which was published in annual editions and widely distributedtoState, Federal, and Tribal officials. In 1989, Young wrote A PoliticalHistory of the Navajo Tribe, published by Navajo Community College(now Diné College). Finally, in 2000, the University of New MexicoPress published his treatise on the Navajo verb, under the title, TheNavajo Verb System . <p></p> <p>In 1969, Young received an honorary doctorate from the University ofNew Mexico. He receivedthe Department of the Interior's SuperiorService Award in 1972. In 1994, he received the New Mexico Endowmentfor the Humanities award for Excellence in the Humanities, and in1996, he and his colleague, William Morgan were honored by the NavajoTribe in a special session of the Navajo Nation Government. <p></p> <p>Robert Wendell Young, 94, a resident of Albuquerque since 1966, diedTuesday, February20, 2007. He is survived by his wife of 67 years,Olga Maloni Young, and daughter, Linda Sue Young, both of Albuquerque.He had resided in the Southwest since 1935, mainly on the NavajoNation. He was arenowned linguist whose work focused primarily on theNavajo Language. A graduate of the University of Illinois (1935), hereceived an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of NewMexico in1969. He is best known for his unabridged and scholarlyNavajo-English dictionaries, done in collaboration with Dr. WilliamMorgan, a native speaker of Navajo. Working with John Harrington ofthe Smithsonian Institute in the late 1930s, he and Morgan crafted theNavajo alphabet in use today. He edited and typeset extensivematerials written in Navajo, and championed quality Navajo bilingualeducation for seventy years. He also wrote and edited many otherbooks, articles and compendiums on Navajo history, government, andpolitics, and on Navajo grammar. Working for the Bureau of IndianAffairs, Dr. Young collaborated extensively with the Navajo TribalCouncil, the Navajo court system, and professional interpreters'groups. As an Area Tribal Operations Officer for the BIA from1962-1971, he was also responsible for liaison with 24 Pueblo andother tribal groups. He was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps duringWorld Was II, where he earned special merit as an Indian Interpreter,and where his fluency in Navajo was utilized in the testing andselection of Navajos trained as Code Talkers. Dr. Young was an adjunctProfessor of Linguistics at UNM, beginning in 1971, where he taughtclasses in the Navajo language and co-directed the Navajo ReadingStudy. In 1980 The Navajo Language: A Grammar and ColloquialDictionary was published and from 1980-1991 he compiled the AnalyticalLexicon of Navajo, published in1991. In 2000 his The Navajo VerbSystem - - An Overview was published. Dr. Young received theDistinguished Service Award from the U.S. Dept. of the Interior in1969, an award for Excellence in the Humanities from the NM Endowmentfor the Humanities in 1994, and in 2006 the Kenneth L. Hale Award fromthe Linguistic Society of America for his outstanding linguisticscholarship in documenting the NavajoLanguage. He was a member ofseveral national linguistic and anthropological groups and was also amember of the Elks Club. Cremation has taken place and no formalfuneral services are planned. In lieu of flowers, the family requeststhat memorial contributions be made to the Robert W. Young ScholarshipFund at UNM, C/O UNM foundation, MSC07-4260, 1UNM, Albuquerque, NM87131. French Mortuary 1111 University Blvd. NE 843-6333
Biography/History
Robert W. Young, linguist, was born on May 18, 1912 in Chicago, IL.Following graduation from the University of Illinois, in 1935, heenrolled in anthropology at the University of New Mexico. There hebecame interested in the Navajo language and he was invited tocollaborate with John P. Harrington of the Smithsonian Institution inthe translation of a series of primers for the Bureau of IndianAffairs. In 1939-40, he accompanied Harrington to Canada forcomparative fieldwork with four Athabaskan languages.
Subsequently, during the period 1940-1971, he was employed by theBureau of Indian Affairs, first as a Specialist in Indian Languages,and after 1950, in Navajo Tribal Relations. In 1971, he joined thestaff of the Modern Languages Department at the University of NewMexico where he taught classes in Navajo Linguistics and collaboratedwith Professor Bernard Spolsky in research conducted by the NavajoReading Study. It was during this period that a grant was receivedfrom the National Endowment for the Humanities to permit Young,jointly with his longtime Navajo colleague, William Morgan Sr., toembark on a major project designed for the compilation of an extensivebilingual Navajo-English/English-Navajo dictionary and grammar. It waspublished in 1980 under the title, The Navajo Language: A Grammar andColloquial Dictionary . This work was published again in 1987 inrevised form, and this was followed in 1992 by An Analytical Lexiconof Navajo, compiled with the assistance ofSally Midgette. Both workswere published by the University of New Mexico Press.
In 1968, Young wrote a history of the Navajo for publication in acommemorative edition of The Gallup Independent celebrating thecentennial of the Navajo Treaty of 1868 between the United StatesGovernment and the Navajo Tribe. During the 1950's,he compiled adetailed historical-statistical study entitled The Navajo Yearbook,which was published in annual editions and widely distributed toState, Federal, and Tribal officials. In 1989, Young wrote A PoliticalHistory of the Navajo Tribe, published by Navajo Community College(now Diné College). Finally, in 2000, the University of New MexicoPress published his treatise on the Navajo verb, under the title, TheNavajo Verb System .
In 1969, Young received an honorary doctorate from the University ofNew Mexico. He received the Department of the Interior's SuperiorService Award in 1972. In 1994, he received the New Mexico Endowmentfor the Humanities award for Excellence in the Humanities, and in1996, he and his colleague, William Morgan were honored by the NavajoTribe in a special session of the Navajo Nation Government.
Robert Wendell Young, 94, a resident of Albuquerque since 1966, diedTuesday, February 20, 2007. He is survived by his wife of 67 years,Olga Maloni Young, and daughter, Linda Sue Young, both of Albuquerque.He had resided in the Southwest since 1935, mainly on the NavajoNation. He was a renowned linguist whose work focused primarily on theNavajo Language. A graduate of the University of Illinois (1935), hereceived an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of NewMexico in 1969. He is best known for his unabridged and scholarlyNavajo-English dictionaries, done in collaboration with Dr. WilliamMorgan, a native speaker of Navajo. Working with John Harrington ofthe Smithsonian Institute in the late 1930s, he and Morgan crafted theNavajo alphabet in use today. He edited and typeset extensivematerials written in Navajo, and championed quality Navajo bilingualeducation for seventy years. He also wrote and edited many otherbooks, articles and compendiums on Navajo history, government, andpolitics, and on Navajo grammar. Working for the Bureau of IndianAffairs, Dr. Young collaborated extensively with the Navajo TribalCouncil, the Navajo court system, and professional interpreters'groups. As an Area Tribal Operations Officer for the BIA from1962-1971, he was also responsible for liaison with 24 Pueblo andother tribal groups. He was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps duringWorld Was II, where he earned special merit as an Indian Interpreter,and where his fluency in Navajo was utilized in the testing andselection of Navajos trained as Code Talkers. Dr. Young was an adjunctProfessor of Linguistics at UNM, beginning in 1971, where he taughtclasses in the Navajo language and co-directed the Navajo ReadingStudy. In 1980 The Navajo Language: A Grammar and ColloquialDictionary was published and from 1980-1991 he compiled the AnalyticalLexicon of Navajo, published in 1991. In 2000 his The Navajo VerbSystem - - An Overview was published. Dr. Young received theDistinguished Service Award from the U.S. Dept. of the Interior in1969, an award for Excellence in the Humanities from the NM Endowmentfor the Humanities in 1994, and in 2006 the Kenneth L. Hale Award fromthe Linguistic Society of America for his outstanding linguisticscholarship in documenting the Navajo Language. He was a member ofseveral national linguistic and anthropological groups and was also amember of the Elks Club. Cremation has taken place and no formalfuneral services are planned. In lieu of flowers, the family requeststhat memorial contributions be made to the Robert W. Young ScholarshipFund at UNM, C/O UNM foundation, MSC07-4260, 1UNM, Albuquerque, NM87131. French Mortuary 1111 University Blvd. NE 843-6333
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