Brilliant, generous, funny, and just a total badass. She was unlike any professor I'd ever had, and she set an example that's impossible to match. Over the years I emailed her occasionally to check in and catch up, and as everyone who knew Jane knows, she always wrote back ridiculously quickly and in a way that made you feel like you were her good friend. What an utter loss to our community and this earth. Here's to you, Jane.
P
Peter Norquest
7 years ago
Jane was one of my two advisors in the Joint Program in Anthropology and Linguistics -- I entered the program with an avid interest in historical linguistics, and Jane offered me unwavering support and continuous encouragement throughout my time in the program. She was one of the most generous people I have ever known, with both her time and her resources, and she was constantly thinking of others. She was also fiercely intelligent, but at the same time extremely humble. She had a positive impact on the lives of many, many people, and she will be missed. May she rest in peace, and I wish the best for her family now that she is gone.
K
KAREN DAKIN
7 years ago
Words in these pages have expressed so well both the qualities of Jane’s exceptional humanity -- her kindness, generosity, and concern, and at the same time how enormous her intellectual contribution and all we have learned from her. But in the 45 years since I first met her, perhaps one of the qualities of that humanity most remarkable for me and much appreciated would be how she always clearly expressed her solidarity with and respect for her colleagues and friends, even in disagreeing. A lesson well taken from such a special life.
M
Mike Hammond
7 years ago
Jane was department head in linguistics when I was hired in 1988.
I remember "negotiating" with her about startup etc. (I was desperate to have my own typewriter!) I remember most vividly how honest and straightforward she was in those conversations.
Those impressions were only strengthened over the years we worked together.
Taken too soon.
A
Aurora Donzelli
7 years ago
The sad news reached me at the exact moment I was writing her name on the references cited of an essay I had just completed. Jane's work work will never stop to influence me.
I
Inmaculada M Garcia-Sanchez
7 years ago
Jane Hill has been a constant presence in all my course syllabi since I started teaching linguistic anthropology almost 10 years ago. Her work has been such an inspiration! She leaves behind a profound legacy that will continue to influence generations of scholars to come. RIP Jane Hill.
N
Norma Maynard
7 years ago
It was an honor to work with her, to know her, to spend time with her, and listen to her!!
D
Diane Wiener
7 years ago
The heartbreak continues. Dr. Jane Hill was a consummate mentor and friend, an unflinchingly ethical feminist, and an outspoken anti-racist scholar-activist. I remember, years ago, when I was a new doctoral student, and we were selling stuff to raise money for a student program, Jane donated some pottery and other items to help out the grad students. I was a new driver, and was scared to death to back out of her narrow driveway at her modest home. She smiled sweetly at me, took my car keys, and backed out that 1988 Toyota Corolla FX, with its 115 thousand miles, my first car. I knew her as a beacon in linguistic anthropology, and as a mentor, but she was, most importantly, a first class mensch.
Y
Yale Janet
7 years ago
Mock Spanish yeah
Now you can sleep well in the land of indigenous with a bunch of hot hunks
I
Isa Rodriguez Soto
7 years ago
Jane Hill's "Language, Space, and White Public Space" was empowering. It offered tools and theory to explain a phenomenon that was racist, infuriating, and yet until I read the article I had no specific language to address it. It was empowering for me as a Latina, as a scholar, and it changed perceptions of many of my students and colleagues. Her work is extremely valuable. She will be missed.
B
Bonnie Urciuoli
7 years ago
_Speaking Mexicano_ knocked me out: I badly wanted to write something that imaginative, insightful, and comprehensive. A few years later I was thrilled to find Jane had assigned my first article to one of her classes, and even more thrilled when I had a chance to meet and thank her and discover how much attention she paid to new work and how generous she was in spreading inspiration around among students and colleagues. Jane, wherever you are, un millón de gracias for being who you are, and for deploying your scholarship, your teaching, and your service to the profession as a critical lens on the inequities of the world around us.
H
Harriet J Ottenheimer
7 years ago
A remarkable woman and a remarkable scholar. Her work will influence us for generations. I am so honored to have known her and so grateful for her generous spirit. I will miss her so very much.
C
Catherine Rhodes
7 years ago
I did not have the great privilege of meeting Jane Hill in person, but her work immensely influences my research, teaching, and engagement in the world. I am grateful to have met her on the page and will continue to be in conversation with her for years to come. I send my profound condolences to her family and friends.
R
Rosemary Hall
7 years ago
Being introduced to Jane Hill's work as a graduate student changed my perspective and enlightened me (as a young white researcher) a great deal. In the end her work influenced my PhD thesis very significantly. I had always hoped to meet her one day at a conference to tell her so myself. Sending my condolences and very best wishes to her friends and family.
S
Shana Walton
7 years ago
Dr. Hill's work was revelatory for me. I saw the power and beauty of language analysis.
M
Michele Koven
7 years ago
I was first awed by her and her work as a grad student, through reading and hearing her speak at conferences. She was brilliant. In my interactions with her as a junior scholar, she was always so supportive and constructive. I was just telling new graduate students about her work and its importance on Friday, before I heard the news. Very sad. My condolences to her family.
D
Dana Osborne
7 years ago
Jane was wicked funny and always had a mischievous glint in her eye -- I think we shared this tendency and appreciated it in one another. I have such fond memories of sitting in her office, chatting about a range of topics from politics to syntax to dogs and back again: surrounded by perilous stacks of books and papers, I always knew that Jane's depth was more than I could ever know. When she retired, she left me books that she thought I would like, including E.O. Wilson's "Sociobiology," which now sits prominently on my bookshelf and is used boldly every semester in my own linguistics class. Thank you for everything Jane -- your legacy continues in me everyday.
A
Anonymous
7 years ago
Jane Hill is the reason why I began to study linguistics/anthropology, since when I first read her work as an undergrad--I am now about to finish my PhD... She forever changed how I see the world.
C
Cindy Kopp
7 years ago
I took as many classes with Jane as I could. She was a great scholar and teacher and I am forever changed by her words and ideas. My sincerest condolences to the family.
A
Anonymous
7 years ago
Her work is a guideline for the kind of person and researcher I want to be.
Brilliant, generous, funny, and just a total badass. She was unlike any professor I'd ever had, and she set an example that's impossible to match. Over the years I emailed her occasionally to check in and catch up, and as everyone who knew Jane knows, she always wrote back ridiculously quickly and in a way that made you feel like you were her good friend. What an utter loss to our community and this earth. Here's to you, Jane.
Jane was one of my two advisors in the Joint Program in Anthropology and Linguistics -- I entered the program with an avid interest in historical linguistics, and Jane offered me unwavering support and continuous encouragement throughout my time in the program. She was one of the most generous people I have ever known, with both her time and her resources, and she was constantly thinking of others. She was also fiercely intelligent, but at the same time extremely humble. She had a positive impact on the lives of many, many people, and she will be missed. May she rest in peace, and I wish the best for her family now that she is gone.
Words in these pages have expressed so well both the qualities of Jane’s exceptional humanity -- her kindness, generosity, and concern, and at the same time how enormous her intellectual contribution and all we have learned from her. But in the 45 years since I first met her, perhaps one of the qualities of that humanity most remarkable for me and much appreciated would be how she always clearly expressed her solidarity with and respect for her colleagues and friends, even in disagreeing. A lesson well taken from such a special life.
Jane was department head in linguistics when I was hired in 1988. I remember "negotiating" with her about startup etc. (I was desperate to have my own typewriter!) I remember most vividly how honest and straightforward she was in those conversations. Those impressions were only strengthened over the years we worked together. Taken too soon.
The sad news reached me at the exact moment I was writing her name on the references cited of an essay I had just completed. Jane's work work will never stop to influence me.
Jane Hill has been a constant presence in all my course syllabi since I started teaching linguistic anthropology almost 10 years ago. Her work has been such an inspiration! She leaves behind a profound legacy that will continue to influence generations of scholars to come. RIP Jane Hill.
It was an honor to work with her, to know her, to spend time with her, and listen to her!!
The heartbreak continues. Dr. Jane Hill was a consummate mentor and friend, an unflinchingly ethical feminist, and an outspoken anti-racist scholar-activist. I remember, years ago, when I was a new doctoral student, and we were selling stuff to raise money for a student program, Jane donated some pottery and other items to help out the grad students. I was a new driver, and was scared to death to back out of her narrow driveway at her modest home. She smiled sweetly at me, took my car keys, and backed out that 1988 Toyota Corolla FX, with its 115 thousand miles, my first car. I knew her as a beacon in linguistic anthropology, and as a mentor, but she was, most importantly, a first class mensch.
Mock Spanish yeah Now you can sleep well in the land of indigenous with a bunch of hot hunks
Jane Hill's "Language, Space, and White Public Space" was empowering. It offered tools and theory to explain a phenomenon that was racist, infuriating, and yet until I read the article I had no specific language to address it. It was empowering for me as a Latina, as a scholar, and it changed perceptions of many of my students and colleagues. Her work is extremely valuable. She will be missed.
_Speaking Mexicano_ knocked me out: I badly wanted to write something that imaginative, insightful, and comprehensive. A few years later I was thrilled to find Jane had assigned my first article to one of her classes, and even more thrilled when I had a chance to meet and thank her and discover how much attention she paid to new work and how generous she was in spreading inspiration around among students and colleagues. Jane, wherever you are, un millón de gracias for being who you are, and for deploying your scholarship, your teaching, and your service to the profession as a critical lens on the inequities of the world around us.
A remarkable woman and a remarkable scholar. Her work will influence us for generations. I am so honored to have known her and so grateful for her generous spirit. I will miss her so very much.
I did not have the great privilege of meeting Jane Hill in person, but her work immensely influences my research, teaching, and engagement in the world. I am grateful to have met her on the page and will continue to be in conversation with her for years to come. I send my profound condolences to her family and friends.
Being introduced to Jane Hill's work as a graduate student changed my perspective and enlightened me (as a young white researcher) a great deal. In the end her work influenced my PhD thesis very significantly. I had always hoped to meet her one day at a conference to tell her so myself. Sending my condolences and very best wishes to her friends and family.
Dr. Hill's work was revelatory for me. I saw the power and beauty of language analysis.
I was first awed by her and her work as a grad student, through reading and hearing her speak at conferences. She was brilliant. In my interactions with her as a junior scholar, she was always so supportive and constructive. I was just telling new graduate students about her work and its importance on Friday, before I heard the news. Very sad. My condolences to her family.
Jane was wicked funny and always had a mischievous glint in her eye -- I think we shared this tendency and appreciated it in one another. I have such fond memories of sitting in her office, chatting about a range of topics from politics to syntax to dogs and back again: surrounded by perilous stacks of books and papers, I always knew that Jane's depth was more than I could ever know. When she retired, she left me books that she thought I would like, including E.O. Wilson's "Sociobiology," which now sits prominently on my bookshelf and is used boldly every semester in my own linguistics class. Thank you for everything Jane -- your legacy continues in me everyday.
Jane Hill is the reason why I began to study linguistics/anthropology, since when I first read her work as an undergrad--I am now about to finish my PhD... She forever changed how I see the world.
I took as many classes with Jane as I could. She was a great scholar and teacher and I am forever changed by her words and ideas. My sincerest condolences to the family.
Her work is a guideline for the kind of person and researcher I want to be.