Arthur Capell
Encyclopedia
Arthur Capell was an Australia
n linguist
, who made major contributions to the study of Australian languages, Austronesian languages
and Papuan languages
.
in 1922 as the University medallist in Classics. After teaching high school for three years, he was ordained in 1925 as a clergyman in the Church of England
(now the Anglican Church of Australia
). He ministered in churches in the Diocese of Newcastle, New South Wales for 10 years, while continuing his studies in linguistics. Having graduated with an honours M.A. in Classics from Sydney in 1931, he left Australia in 1935 and commenced doctoral studies at the University of London
. He graduated in 1936 with a Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies. His thesis, The linguistic position of south-eastern Papua
, was published in 1943.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 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 made major contributions to the study of Australian languages, Austronesian languages
Austronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...
and Papuan languages
Papuan languages
The Papuan languages are those languages of the western Pacific which are neither Austronesian nor Australian. The term does not presuppose a genetic relationship. The concept of Papuan peoples as distinct from Melanesians was first suggested and named by Sidney Herbert Ray in 1892.-The...
.
Life
Capell graduated from the University of SydneyUniversity of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in 1922 as the University medallist in Classics. After teaching high school for three years, he was ordained in 1925 as a clergyman in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
(now the Anglican Church of Australia
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...
). He ministered in churches in the Diocese of Newcastle, New South Wales for 10 years, while continuing his studies in linguistics. Having graduated with an honours M.A. in Classics from Sydney in 1931, he left Australia in 1935 and commenced doctoral studies at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. He graduated in 1936 with a Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies. His thesis, The linguistic position of south-eastern Papua
Papua (Australian territory)
The Territory of Papua comprised the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea from 1883 to 1949. It became a British Protectorate in the year 1884, and four years later it was formally annexed as British New Guinea...
, was published in 1943.