Stanley Starosta

Linguist, limerickist, punster, lover of “Blue Grass”, critic of Chomsky and bedeviler of all who misused the diamond of the scientific method, that was Stan Starosta.

I first met him in 1968; when I began my first efforts at a linguistics degree.

Stan was the first professor to invite me to his abode for a party;

He then lived in the quarry;

Beer, jokes and puns galore;

They seemed the pillars of linguistic lore;

But then I later learned it was all lexicalilty.

Stan could be contentious; sometimes to his own peril. But mostly that came from his principles: his science and its standards were important to him; and he firmly believed that language, or at least syntax is susceptible to the scientific method.

He was also a true friend; you could dispute with him; I frequently attacked the macrorole “actr” and he just as often put down hyphenated linguistics.

But when it got serious, he came through. In my enforced stay in Queen’s five years ago, Stan, William and Laurie showed up the day after I arrived; and came back frequently; even staying with my wife while the doctors cut me apart and put me back to together again. Stan loaned me his portable computer; played chauffeur, and added me to the Thanksgiving dinner list as I convalesced.

He was a principled man, a fun person, and a good friend.

祝他旅途愉快

Woody Mott