Chao Yuen Ren

Chao Yuen Ren was a Chinese-American linguist, phonologist, composer, and author, who was one of the earliest modern Chinese linguists and contributed to the study of Chinese phonology, grammar, and dialects. He was also a prolific writer of both academic and popular works, and a renowned translator of classical and modern Chinese literature. Chao was born in Tianjin, China, in 1892. He studied mathematics and physics at Cornell University, where he met his lifelong friend Hu Shih. He then switched to philosophy and earned his PhD from Harvard University in 1918. He was Bertrand Russell's interpreter when Russell visited China in 1920. He married Yang Buwei, a physician and feminist, in 1921. Chao returned to China in 1926 and taught at various universities, such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, and National Central University. He was a pioneer in the field of Chinese linguistics, and developed many innovative theories and methods. He invented the Gwoyeu Romatzyh romanization system, which indicated the tones of Mandarin Chinese without using diacritics or numbers. He also devised the Chao tone letters, which are widely used to represent the tones of various languages. He wrote the Mandarin Primer, one of the most influential textbooks for learning Mandarin Chinese. He also conducted extensive research on Chinese dialects, especially the Wu and Min varieties. He was a founding member of the Academia Sinica and the Chinese Linguistic Society. Chao moved to the United States in 1939 and taught at the University of California, Berkeley, until his retirement in 1960. He continued to be active in linguistic research and education, and was involved in the International Phonetic Association and the Linguistic Society of America. He also composed many popular songs in Chinese and English, and translated Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland into Chinese. He wrote numerous books and articles on various topics, such as logic, music, humor, and poetry. He was a master of classical Chinese, modern Chinese, and English, and was known for his wit and creativity. He died in 1982 at the age of 89 and was honored as a pioneer, a visionary, and an inspiration to many.