Richard Weld Bailey (October 26, 1939 – April 2, 2011) was an American linguist, scholar of the English language, and the Fred Newton Scott Collegiate Professor of English at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.[1]
Bailey was born in Pontiac, Michigan to Karl and Elisabeth (Weld) Bailey. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1961, having also studied for a year at the University of Edinburgh. He received his MA and Ph.D in English from the University of Connecticut in 1965. He died in 2011 at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Bailey was the author or editor or over 20 books, most treating aspects of English language history (in the U.S. and elsewhere) and linguistics. He also authored over one hundred articles, both scholarly and popular and nearly that many reviews of scholarly works. From 2003 to his death, he wrote a regular column titled "Talking About Words" for the University of Michigan publication Michigan Today.[2] With Colette Moore and Marilyn Miller, Bailey published A London Provisioner's Chronicle 1550-1563 by Henry Machyn, an on-line edition of a recounting of daily life in sixteenth century London.[3] Through his teaching and mentorship, he played an important part in advancing scholarship in the realm of language and linguistics, including chairing or serving on dozens of dissertation committees.
In addition to his research and teaching at the University of Michigan, Bailey was involved for over 30 years in the governance and significant growth of the Washtenaw Community College:
- Elected Trustee (1974–present)
- Treasurer (1977–79), Secretary (1979–81)
- Vice-Chair (1981–85), and Board Chair (1985–94, 1999–2000)
He was named an honorary faculty member in 2002 and in 2005, and his service to WCC was honored when the Richard W. Bailey Library was named for him.
In 2008, Bailey co-authored an amicus brief with colleagues Dennis Baron and Jeffrey Kaplan, for the District of Columbia v. Heller Supreme Court case, providing an interpretation of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution based on the grammars, dictionaries, and general usage common in the founders' day, and showing that those meanings are still common today.[4]
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WCC Richard W. Bailey Library - Washtenaw Community College
Transcription
[music playing in the background] [muffled voices] It was pretty cool. I mean, the falling buildings and everything was really sweet. I got this call in the middle of it though. It kind of ruined the movie for everyone around me. [garbled sounds] You, know what I'm saying. Shhh, quiet in the library. So, you think you're going to to out with her? Yeah, most definitely. I think we're gonna go down to Denny's. [woman looking frustrated] [music playing in background] One, two, three, four. I declare a thumb war. I got you… [sound of bubble popping] WCC’s Bailey Library is a rich academic resource, dedicated to serving the needs of students and faculty. It is an integral part of WCC’s vibrant teaching and learning community, an information hub, essential for independently navigating the ever expanding information universe. The Bailey Library hosts a literature inventory of more than 68,000 print books, covering a vast array of subjects. Bailey also hosts a catalog of over 16,000 e-books that may be accessed by the online catalog. Our media collection includes over 3,000 items, in various formats and is accessible through the library’s online catalog. Media formats include video cassettes, DVD’s, audio cassettes, music CD’s and CD-ROMs. Items as diverse as college catalogs, Michigan newspaper articles, other libraries' online catalogs, additional periodical references, and the news and information provided by LexisNexis are available electronically through the library. In addition to the study kiosks and comfortable relaxation areas around the perimeter of the library, the Bailey Library also provides the convenience of private group study rooms for WCC students and faculty. Study rooms are available for check out from the helpful staff at the user services desk. In addition to the large selection of PC and Mac desktops freely available for use in the library and upstairs Computer Commons, the school's free access wireless network is available as an especially helpful and convenient college amenity. The Bailey Library is an open welcoming resource for visitors. Located in a quiet, peaceful part of WCC’s campus; overlooking the beautiful WCC grounds. Whether you've come to take a load off, enjoy some great literature, study with friends, or get cracking on that paper that was due yesterday, the WCC Bailey Library is a place to do it all.
Selected professional affiliations
- Modern Language Association - Numerous positions, 1970–2011
- Dictionary Society of North America - President (2001–2003), Fellow (2005–2011)
- American Dialect Society - Vice-President (1985–87), President (1987–89)
- American Council of Learned Societies - Delegate (1996–99; 1999–2003)
- Guild of Scholars of The Episcopal Church - Member 1996–present, President 2003-2007)
Awards and honors
- University of Michigan Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, 1989
- University of Michigan Regents' Award for Distinguished Public Service, 1992
- University of Michigan Press Book Award, 1993, 1998
- University of Michigan John H. D'Arms Faculty Award for Distinguished Graduate Mentoring in the Humanities, 2001
Selected publications
- Speaking American: A History of English in the United States (Oxford University Press, 2012)
- Rogue Scholar: The Sinister Life and Celebrated Death of Edward H. Rulloff (University of Michigan Press, 2004)
- Images of English: A Cultural History of the English Language (University of Michigan Press, 1991)
- Nineteenth Century English (University of Michigan Press, 1998)
- Associate editor, The Oxford Companion to the English Language (Oxford University Press, 1992) Editor, Dictionaries: The Journal of the Dictionary Society of North America, 1978–1990
References
- ^ "U-M Department of English: News & Events: Sad News". umich.edu. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- ^ Richard W. Bailey. "Talking About Words". Michigan Today.
- ^ Richard W. Bailey; Marilyn Miller & Colette Moore. "A London Provisioner's Chronicle, 1550–1563, by Henry Machyn: Manuscript, Transcription, and Modernization".
- ^ Dennis E. Baron; Richard W. Bailey (2008), "BRIEF FOR PROFESSORS OF LINGUISTICS AND ENGLISH DENNIS E. BARON, Ph.D., RICHARD W. BAILEY, Ph.D. AND JEFFREY P. KAPLAN, Ph.D. IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS" (PDF), DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, et al., v. DICK ANTHONY HELLER
External links
- University of Michigan Press In Memory of Richard W. Bailey
- University of Michigan Department of English Language and Literature