Eminent linguist Probal Dasgupta passes away

Kolkata: Probal Dasgupta, an eminent Indian linguist, Esperantist and academic administrator, passed away in his sleep after suffering a stroke in the early hours of Monday at the age of 72.

His sudden demise has cast a pall of gloom among students, colleagues and academics. He is regarded for his profound contributions to formal linguistics, sociolinguistics and language politics. His intellectual footprint bridged rigorous academic syntax with passionate advocacy for linguistic human rights and multilingualism.

He was born in Kolkata to an academic family. Dasgupta developed fascination with language structure and published his first article on phonology in Indian Linguistics at 18. His father, Arun Kumar Dasgupta, was a historian and his mother, Manashi Dasgupta, was a social psychologist.

He studied linguistics at Sanskrit College in Kolkata. He pursued higher studies at Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute in Pune, before moving to the US. He secured his PhD in Linguistics from New York University in 1980, focusing his doctoral dissertation on Bangla grammar. His doctoral dissertation at New York University, ‘Questions and Relative and Complement Clauses in a Bangla Grammar,’ had contributions in Bangla syntax. His research focused on Bangla syntax, morphology and sociolinguistics. He is highly regarded for developing the substantivist approach to linguistics, a theoretical collaboration with Rajendra Singh.

Over a teaching and research career spanning several decades, Dasgupta taught at Calcutta University, Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, the University of Hyderabad and the Indian Statistical Institute, where he headed the Linguistic Research Unit (LRU) from 2006 to 2018.

Indian Statistical Institute mourned the demise of the professor. “LRU sincerely acknowledges the contribution he has made to the growth and advancement of the Unit, as well as expresses sincere condolences to his bereaved family members,” said the social media post on behalf of LRU, ISI.

JU history professor Maroona Murmu broke down in tears while bidding farewell to Dasgupta. Beyond regional linguistics, Dasgupta was a monumental figure in the international Esperanto community, utilising the constructed language as a philosophical tool for cross-border neutrality and linguistic democracy. Former MP Jawhar Sircar and emeritus professor at Jadavpur University English department Supriya Chaudhuri expressed grief over his death