J. J. Smith (linguist)

Professor Johannes Jacobus "Jan" Smith (5 October 1883 − 18 June 1949) was a leading figure in the Afrikaans language movement and the compiler of the first standard Afrikaans dictionary.^[1][2] He was an important member of the committee which first attempted to standardize Afrikaans spelling, and was made the founding editor of Die Huisgenoot, the family magazine of the Nasionale Pers, in which early Afrikaans literature was discussed.^[2] He was a professor of languages at Stellenbosch University from 1919 until his retirement in 1945.^[3] His nephew was the politician, judge and Afrikaans writer Henry Allan Fagan.

J. J. Smith
Born	5 October 1883 (1883-10-05) Tulbagh, Cape Colony
Died	18 June 1949(1949-06-18) (aged 65) Cape Town, Union of South Africa
Known for	Afrikaans language movement Die Huisgenoot Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal
Academic work
Discipline	Linguistics Dutch Afrikaans
Institutions	Stellenbosch University

References

1. "Prof. J.J. Smith (65), compiler of the first standard dictionary of the Afrikaans language, dies in Cape Town". SA History Online. 18 June 1949.
2. Giliomee, Hermann (2011). The Afrikaners: Biography of a People. Hurst. pp. 375–377.
3. "History". www.sun.ac.za. Retrieved 15 July 2016.