Colleagues in the Department of English Language & Linguistics and Modern Languages will be saddened to learn of the death of Professor David Andrew Trotter, who died on Monday 24 August, aged 58.
Professor Trotter’s research spanned historical French linguistics, medieval French, and historical dialectology, especially eastern French. He was probably best known, however, as one of the country’s leading Anglo-Norman specialists, leading the AHRC-funded Anglo-Norman Dictionary project with great distinction.
Professor Trotter graduated as a Doctor of Philosophy from Queen’s College Oxford, and worked as Laming Junior Fellow at The Queen’s College, Oxford, before moving to the University of Exeter in 1985, where he taught the linguistics of modern French, whilst being responsible for all medieval work in the Department of Modern Languages. He was appointed Chair of French at Aberystwyth University in October 1993, and was Head of Department throughout his career at Aberystwyth, serving also as Dean of the Faculty of Arts between 1996 and 2000.
Acting Head of English Language & Linguistics David Hornsby noted: “David was a great friend to French and ELL at Kent, providing helpful advice to colleagues and students alike. The typically original, entertaining and insightful paper he gave on Anglo-Norman in Kent here in 2011 was particularly well received. His death is a huge loss to French linguistics in the UK, and he will be greatly missed.”