Duncan Okoth Okombo
| Duncan Okoth Okombo | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 November 1950 Rusinga Island, Kenya |
| 💀Died | 1 November 2017 (aged 66) Nairobi, Kenya1 November 2017 (aged 66) |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Kenyan |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Duncan Okoth Okombo (8 November 1950 – 1 November 2017) was a Kenyan linguist and professor at the University of Nairobi. He published research on Kenyan Sign Language and worked on the preservation of the Suba language.[1][2]
Early life and education
Okombo was born on Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria, Kenya.[1] He went to primary school on Rusinga Island and attended Mbita High School.
In 1974, he received a Diploma in Education from Kenyatta College. He attended the University of Nairobi, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1977 and a Master of Arts in Linguistics in 1979. In 1987, he earned a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Nairobi with a doctoral dissertation on the grammar of the Dholuo language.[3]
Career
Okombo taught at the University of Nairobi in the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, where he became a professor and dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.[3]
In 1991, Okombo started the Kenyan Sign Language Research Project at the University of Nairobi.[4] The project published a dictionary and studied the grammar of Kenyan Sign Language.[1]
In the 1990s, Okombo directed the Suba Language Project with support from UNESCO.[5] The project created an orthography and school materials for the endangered Suba language.[6]
Okombo also served as President of the World Congress of African Linguistics (WOCAL).[1]
Death
Okombo died on 1 November 2017 at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi at the age of 66.[2] He was buried on Rusinga Island.
Books
- Okombo, Duncan Okoth (1982). Aspects of Bantu Grammar. Nairobi: Heinemann Educational Books. Search this book on
- Okombo, Duncan Okoth (1986). A Functional Grammar of Dholuo. Nairobi: University of Nairobi. Search this book on
- Okombo, Duncan Okoth (1992). Heine, Bernd, ed. Language and Society in Africa. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press. Search this book on
- Okombo, Duncan Okoth; Akach, Philemon (1997). Language Policy and the Deaf Community in Kenya. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press. Search this book on
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Muganda, Clay (4 November 2017). "Prof Okoth Okombo: The consummate scholar who championed indigenous languages". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2026-09-12.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Anyango, Dolphine (2 November 2017). "Linguistics giant Prof Okoth Okombo dies in Nairobi hospital". The Standard (Kenya). Retrieved 2026-09-12.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Staff Profile: Prof. Duncan Okoth Okombo". University of Nairobi. Retrieved 2026-09-12.
- ↑ Okombo, Duncan Okoth (1994). Kenyan Sign Language Dictionary. Nairobi: University of Nairobi / Kenya National Association of the Deaf. Search this book on
- ↑ Okoth-Okombo, Duncan (1999). "Language and ethnic identity: the case of the Abasuba". Kenya Journal of Sciences. 5 (1): 21–38.
- ↑ Heine, Bernd; Brenzinger, Mathias, eds. (2003). UNESCO Red Book of Endangered Languages: Africa. Paris: UNESCO. Search this book on
External links
Category:1950 births Category:2017 deaths Category:People from Homa Bay County Category:University of Nairobi faculty Category:Kenyan linguists Category:Africanists Category:Suba people (Kenya)
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