Ida Caroline Ward, (4 October 1880 – 10 October 1949) was a British linguist working mainly on

African languages The languages of Africa are divided into several major language families: * Niger–Congo or perhaps Atlantic–Congo languages (includes Bantu and non-Bantu, and possibly Mande and others) are spoken in West, Central, Southeast and Souther ...

who did influential work in the domains of

phonology Phonology is the branch of linguistics that studies how languages or dialects systematically organize their sounds or, for sign languages, their constituent parts of signs. The term can also refer specifically to the sound or sign system of a ...

and tonology. Her 1933 collaboration with Diedrich Hermann Westermann, ''Practical Phonetics for Students of African languages'', has been reprinted many times. African languages she worked on include Efik (1933),

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

(1936, 1941), Mende (1944), and

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

(published posthumously in 1952). Born in Bradford, Ida Ward was the eighth child of a

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

wool merchant. She studied for a B.Litt degree at Durham University, as a member of the then recently founded Women's Hostel, graduating in 1902. Following this she taught as a secondary school teacher for 16 years before becoming an academic. From 1919 to 1932 she worked in the phonetics department at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

with the famous phonetician Daniel Jones; in 1932 she moved on to the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...

in London, becoming a professor in 1944. In her books on African languages she gave a detailed account of the tones of the languages, and in her day was one of the leading authorities in the subject.Collins, Beverley & Inger M. Mees (1999)
''The Real Professor Higgins: The Life and Career of Daniel Jones''
Mouton de Gruyter, p. 257.

Works

*Ward, Ida C. (1923) ''Defects of Speech: Their Nature and Their Cure''. E.P. Dutton. * Armstrong, Lilias E. & Ward, Ida C. (1926) ''Handbook of English Intonation'', B. G. Teubner, Leipzig, Germany *Westermann, Diedrich Hermann & Ward, Ida C. (1933) ''Practical phonetics for students of African languages''. London: Oxford University Press for the International African Institute *Ward, Ida C. (1933) ''The phonetic and tonal structure of Efik''. Cambridge: Heffer. *Ward, Ida C. (1936) ''An introduction to the Ibo language''. Cambridge: Heffer. *Ward, Ida C. (1937) ''Practical suggestions for the learning of an African language in the field'', ''Africa'', supplement, vol. 10, no. 2. London. *Ward, Ida C. (1939) ''The Phonetics of English''. Heffer, Cambridge. *Ward, Ida C. (1939) ''The Pronunciation of Twi''. Heffer, Cambridge. *Ward, Ida C. (1941) ''Ibo dialects and the development of a common language.'' Cambridge: Heffer. *Ward, Ida C. (1944) 'A phonetic introduction to Mende', in Crosby, K.H., ''An introduction to the study of Mende''. Cambridge: Heffer. *Ward, Ida C. (1952) ''An introduction to the Yoruba language.'' Cambridge: Heffer & Sons.

Works

References

Further reading