This Ohio State professor is not your “average Joe”; he is an expert in his field of study, and his shining personality and achievements will knock your socks off.
Brian Joseph is a professor of linguistics and also a Kenneth E. Naylor Professor of South Slavic Linguistics, an endowed position in the Department of Slavic and East European languages and literatures.
“Joseph is a triple threat man: a fine scholar, excellent teacher and first-class administrator, as well as a kind, considerate, and helpful human being,” Catherine Callaghan, professor of linguistics, said. “He has helped elevate the department of linguistics in above and beyond ways.”
“Language is a human phenomenon because it is not just the structure – not just language as some symbolic system – but also the way people use it,” Joseph said.
Joseph has been on a journey through time – the study of how languages change through time, that is. He explained linguistics as the scientific objective study of language in general. Joseph said the areas he has concentrated on are mostly historical linguistics and the study of Greek and Balkan linguistics.
But he doesn’t stop in the classroom. Beth Hume O’Haire, associate professor of linguistics, said the diminutive Joseph is also very active in the department’s extra-curricular activities.
“He’s captain of the department’s basketball team and also plays on our softball team,” she said. “He’s quite a renaissance.”
Joseph said he loves watching Buckeye football.
“I live and die with their successes and failures,” he said.
Joseph grew up in Scarsdale, N.Y., and, on the advice of an uncle, took Latin in high school. Joseph said he took his uncle seriously and ultimately enjoyed the class. His excitement for language continued at Yale University where he was drawn to the study of language. He received his undergraduate degree in linguistics.
“I spent my junior year in a study abroad program in Greece learning modern Greek and got interested in the way the language had changed from ancient to modern Greek,” Joseph said. “It was right there in front of me, I was studying ancient Greek there and learning modern Greek, so it was sort of hitting me in the face all the time… it provided the impetus for looking at the way languages change over time.”
Peter Culicover, professor and chair of linguistics, said Joseph is influential and enormously productive in his areas of study.
“Joseph is not simply a respected scholar in a sub-area of linguistics. He is the world’s leading scholar of the current generation of linguistics in (Greek linguistics) and a leading contributor to (Balkan and general historical linguistics),” Culicover said.
Joseph went on to receive a Ph.D. in linguistics from Harvard University and said going there was an easy decision.
“It was the best (university) in historical linguistics, and there was a whole ambiance of being at Harvard. There is some serious intellectualizing all the time,” Joseph said. “There is still room for fun, and the Boston area is a very exciting place.”
Joseph has been teaching at OSU for 22 years and was the chair of the linguistics department for 10 years, during which time the department became one of the top 10 graduate programs in the United States.
Joseph said he most enjoys teaching and the challenge of presenting the material to the students.
“I get to continue to learn things from teaching and the research I do and it is fun to just learn new facts about my field of interest,” he said.
Being involved is what Joseph prides himself on. He has assisted 15 graduate students with dissertations.
“I am gaining knowledge from the students without having to do the fieldwork and it is very exciting because all I know is what I have learned from them,” Joseph said.
James Unger, professor and chair of East Asian languages and literatures, said Joseph has a great ability to bring people together and work creatively.
“Brian has a generous, gentle personal style that complements his meticulousness and great learning as a linguist and makes him a wonderful teacher and colleague,” Unger said.
Joseph said his favorite course to teach is a 600-level introduction to historical linguistics. He enjoys the discussions and the questions trying to challenge his view on the subject.
“Over the years I have heard all the questions so there is very little students can say to surprise me,” Joseph said.
Not only a professor, Joseph is nationally known for his research, numerous publications which number well over 100 and overall involvement in his department. Daniel Collins, chair and associate professor of Slavic linguistics, said Joseph has just been appointed editor-in-chief of the premiere linguistics journal in the world, Language.
“Brian is superhumanly productive as a scholar,” Collins said. “I’ve often wondered when he sleeps.”
Along with Joseph’s work-a-holic style he still makes time for his family. He has been married for 26 years and has two sons. Joseph said when he is not at work, he absorbs in his family life.
“When my kids were younger, I would coach their soccer and baseball teams,” Joseph said. “Now, I like to relax in front of the television with my wife.”
Joseph said his best work was the first book he wrote, “Morphology and Universals in Syntactic Change: Evidence from Medieval and Modern Greek.” The publication has been very popular among linguists.
“One index of quality scholarship is how much other people cite your work and use it as a springboard for other works, and it has been cited a fair bit,” he said.
This past year, Joseph was presented the Distinguished Scholar Award from OSU. This award was given to six faculty members honored for their excellence in research and scholarship. Six years ago, Joseph also was recognized as one of OSU’s most distinguished teachers.
“I am very proud of the fact that I have been recognized for both my teaching and for my research,” Joseph said. “I especially liked stepping out on the football field to receive the Distinguished Scholar Award. That was a kick. It was a perfect night.”
O’Haire said Joseph is a terrific role model in the department.
“He’s a wonderful resource to have in the department, and I appreciate his willingness to share his knowledge with me and others,” she said.
