UC Berkeley’s Geoffrey Nunberg, famed NPR linguist, dies at 75

Geoffrey Nunberg, an adjunct full professor at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Information, was known for his playful commentaries on language for National Public Radio's "Fresh Air" talk show. He gave the I School's commencement address in 2019. (Noah Berger photo) Geoffrey Nunberg, a linguist and scholar known for his engaging commentary on language for National Public Radio's "Fresh Air" talk show, died Aug. 11 in San Francisco after a long illness. He was 75. Nunberg, who served as an adjunct full professor at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Information (I School), was particularly interested in linguistic usage and how language changes over time, as well as the use of taboo language, like slurs and racial slurs. He also studied and wrote about the social and cultural implications of new technologies.
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