mikelove Posted January 7, 2009 at 10:05 PM Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 at 10:05 PM It's my sad duty to report that Professor John DeFrancis, author of Beginning Chinese Reader, Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy, and many other titles, passed away last Friday at the age of 97: http://johndefrancis.wordpress.com/ While I never had the pleasure of meeting him, it's been a joy and a privilege to help bring his ABC dictionary to a wider audience through Pleco; his influence in the world of Chinese teaching is incalculable and all of us in this field owe him a very great debt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chalimac Posted January 7, 2009 at 10:10 PM Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 at 10:10 PM RIP. His readers are an extraordinary textbook, so intentional and planned they constitute a milestone in language teaching. His dictionary is also awesome. My thoughts are with his family and collaborators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lu Posted January 7, 2009 at 11:07 PM Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 at 11:07 PM I'm sorry to hear that :-( I learned my first Chinese from his Beginning Chinese. DeFrancis contributed a lot to the learning of Chinese, and I'm sure his work will live on for a long time to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowdh Posted January 8, 2009 at 12:20 AM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 12:20 AM RIP John DeFrancis. One of the greats in Chinese and perhaps one of the most important contributors... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted January 8, 2009 at 02:17 AM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 02:17 AM Sad news. I'm sure I'm not the only one who uses the ABC in some form or other on virtually a daily basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted January 8, 2009 at 04:23 AM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 04:23 AM Seems like I'm the only one never to have used any DeFrancis material then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gato Posted January 8, 2009 at 05:07 AM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 05:07 AM Seems like I'm the only one never to have used any DeFrancis material then?You haven't used the ABC Dictionary (which is used by Wenlin and Pleco)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABCinChina Posted January 8, 2009 at 05:43 AM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 05:43 AM (edited) I have never used the ABC dictionary as well. I hear is it better than the most current version of CEDICT. Maybe one day I'll get a Windows Mobile device and jump on the Plecodict train. Edit: RIP John, thank you for your contributions to Chinese learning. Edited January 8, 2009 at 06:11 AM by ABCinChina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted January 8, 2009 at 05:48 AM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 05:48 AM Folks, could we perhaps keep this for reactions to the man's passing rather than pointing out you never used his work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hofmann Posted January 8, 2009 at 06:21 AM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 06:21 AM Prof. DeFrancis, thanks for everything. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
889 Posted January 8, 2009 at 07:03 AM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 07:03 AM Excerpts from a talk by John DeFrancis: http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=afaVjLlnUtQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sukitc Posted January 8, 2009 at 08:27 AM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 08:27 AM Prof. DeFrancis's Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy was a monumental achievement. The book helped raise my passion for the Chinese language--particularly, its linquistic aspects. RIP, Professor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renzhe Posted January 8, 2009 at 11:06 AM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 11:06 AM (edited) Prof. DeFrancis's Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy was a monumental achievement. I've only read one chapter of it (The Ideographic Myth) and that alone changed the way I thought about Chinese. I think I'll order the whole book. EDIT: I've just ordered it. Edited January 9, 2009 at 02:33 PM by renzhe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted January 8, 2009 at 03:16 PM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 03:16 PM You haven't used the ABC Dictionary (which is used by Wenlin and Pleco)? Right. But RIP anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lugubert Posted January 8, 2009 at 04:19 PM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 04:19 PM I have read Fact and Fantasy. It's about time to get a copy of my own. I use the Pleco and Wenlin. I'm more into simplified, but I have found four of his textbooks, and they almost made me switch to traditional. Some day, I'm going to wade through them anyway. Not the least because I'm a Swede, Bernhard Karlgren is at the summit of my list of scholars of Chinese, but JDF is not very far behind. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msittig Posted January 8, 2009 at 07:11 PM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 07:11 PM Did everybody read the biography on the Wordpress site? I don't think I've used his dictionary, but gosh what a life! Amazing fellow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
querido Posted January 8, 2009 at 07:29 PM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 07:29 PM Link to wordpress memorial: http://johndefrancis.wordpress.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuawbb Posted January 8, 2009 at 09:14 PM Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 at 09:14 PM RIP, Prof. DeFrancis; such an amazing life, and like has been mentioned before, a monumental contribution to Chinese learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
889 Posted January 15, 2009 at 09:30 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 at 09:30 AM The New York Times ran a long obituary today: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/us/15defrancis.html?ref=world Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Zhiren Posted January 15, 2009 at 11:36 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 at 11:36 AM I owe Mr DeFrancis any skills that I have with the Chinese language. Years before Purdue University had any Chinese language courses, DeFrancis' textbooks got me going well into language programs for foreigners in Taiwan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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