Alexander John Ellis Quotes

A collection of quotes by Alexander John Ellis.

Alexander John Ellis (1814-1890) was a highly influential and respected British mathematician and philologist. Born on June 14, 1814, in London, Ellis dedicated his life to various academic pursuits and made significant contributions to the fields of phonetics, musical pitch theory, and historical linguistics.

Ellis began his academic journey at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied mathematics. Although he excelled in this field, his true passion lied in language and linguistics. He embarked on a self-study of phonetics and became one of the pioneers in this emerging field. Ellis's meticulous research and measurement techniques laid the foundation for modern phonetics, and he is widely regarded as the founder of the English school of phonetics.

Apart from phonetics, Ellis also delved into the study of musical pitch theory. He conducted extensive experiments on the perception of musical intervals, which greatly influenced the development of modern musical acoustics. Ellis's work in this area earned him recognition and praise from musicians and scholars.

Later in his career, Ellis turned his attention to the study of historical linguistics. He made significant contributions to the understanding of language evolution, especially through his extensive research on the Celtic languages.

Alexander John Ellis's profound knowledge and contributions to various fields of study have left a lasting legacy. His pioneering work in phonetics, musical pitch theory, and historical linguistics has had a profound impact on the development of these disciplines, making him one of the most important figures in the history of linguistics and mathematics. He passed away on October 28, 1890, leaving behind an enduring intellectual heritage.