John DeFrancis

John DeFrancis was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in a family of modest Italian immigrant origins. His father, a laborer who had changed his name from DeFrancesco, died when DeFrancis was a young child. His mother was illiterate.In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan, page 9

After graduating from Yale College in 1933 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, DeFrancis sailed to China with the intent of studying Chinese and working in business. In 1935, he accompanied H. Desmond Martin, a Canadian military historian,{{Citation |last=Martin |first=Henry Desmond |title=The Rise of Chingis Khan and His Conquest of North China |year=1971 |publisher=Johns Hopkins |isbn=978-0-374-95287-7}} on a several-thousand-mile trip retracing the route of Genghis Khan through Mongolia and northwestern China. His book In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan (University of Hawai'i Press, 1993) describes this journey riding camels across the Gobi Desert, visiting the ruins of Khara-Khoto and rafting down the Yellow River. Along the way, he met the Chinese Muslim Ma Clique warlords Ma Buqing and Ma Bukang. DeFrancis returned to the United States in 1936 and did not visit China again until 1982.{{sfn|DeFrancis|1993|pp=3–4}}

DeFrancis began graduate studies in Chinese, first at Yale under George A. Kennedy and then at Columbia University due to Columbia's larger graduate program in sinology.{{sfnp|Mair|2009|pp=184-5}} He received an MA from Columbia in 1941, then a Ph.D in 1948 with a dissertation entitled "Nationalism and Language Reform in China", which was published by Princeton University Press in 1950.{{sfnp|Mair|2009|p=185}} He began his academic career teaching Chinese at Johns Hopkins University during the height of the Red Scare, and was blacklisted for defending his colleague Owen Lattimore from unsubstantiated allegations of being a Russian spy, and eventually laid off in 1954.

After an unhappy stint as a vacuum-cleaner salesman, DeFrancis eventually returned to teaching, notably at Seton Hall University from 1961 to 1966, and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa from 1966 to 1976. In the 1960s, at the request of John B. Tsu, he wrote 12 volumes of textbooks and readers for Mandarin Chinese, popularly known as the "DeFrancis series "and published by Yale University Press (), which were widely used in Chinese as a foreign language classes for decades;{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Edward |date=15 January 2009 |title=John DeFrancis, Chinese Language Scholar, Is Dead at 97 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/us/15defrancis.html |access-date=2015-05-20 |work=The New York Times}} DeFrancis was one of the first educators outside China to use Hanyu Pinyin as an educational aid, and his textbooks are said to have had a "tremendous impact" on Chinese teaching in the West.{{Cite web |last=Mair |first=Victor |author-link=Victor H. Mair |date=26 January 2009 |title=John DeFrancis, August 31, 1911–January 2, 2009 |url=http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1077 |access-date=27 January 2009 |via=Language Log |ref=none}} He served as Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Oriental Society from 1950 to 1955 and the Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association from 1966 to 1978.

DeFrancis retired from teaching in 1976, but remained an important figure in Chinese language pedagogy, Asian sociolinguistics, and language policy, as well as a prolific author. One of his most well-known books, The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy (University of Hawai'i Press, 1984) attempts to debunk a number of what DeFrancis considered "widespread myths" about the language—including what he referred to as the "ideographic myth".{{sfn|DeFrancis|1984}} Another influential work of his was Visible Speech: The Diverse Oneness of Writing Systems, which addressed more myths about the Chinese writing system, and has been called his magnum opus by colleague Victor H. Mair. DeFrancis spent his final years diligently working as Editor in Chief of the "ABC (Alphabetically Based Computerized) series" of Chinese dictionaries, which feature innovative collation by the pinyin romanization system.

DeFrancis died on 2 January 2009, in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, at the age of 97.Nora Caplan-Bricker: [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/27082 John DeFrancis, 97, Chinese language scholar, is dead] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123054203/http://yaledailynews.com/articles/view/27082 |date=2009-01-23}}. Yale Daily News, January 16, 2009.

John DeFrancis was the author and editor of numerous publications.{{sfn|Mair|1991|pp=vii–ix}}

Textbooks (Yale Language Series, Yale University Press):

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1. {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Beginning Chinese |year=1976 |orig-date=1963 |series=Yale linguistic series |edition=2nd |place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |language=en,zh |isbn=978-0-300-02054-0 |last2=Yung Teng |first2=Chia-yee}}
2. {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Character Text for Beginning Chinese |year=1976 |author-mask=3 |author-mask2=3 |orig-date=1964 |edition=2nd |place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |language=en,zh |isbn=978-0-300-02055-7 |last2=Yung Teng |first2=Chia-yee}}
3. {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Beginning Chinese reader |year=1977 |author-mask=3 |author-mask2=3 |orig-date=1964 |edition=2nd |place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-02060-1 |last2=Chia-yee |first2=Teng}}
4. {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Intermediate Chinese |year=1973 |author-mask=3 |author-mask2=3 |orig-date=1964 |edition=2nd |place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=0-300-00064-2 |last2=Yung Teng |first2=Chia-yee}}
5. {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Character Text for Intermediate Chinese |year=1973 |author-mask=3 |author-mask2=3 |orig-date=1965 |edition=2nd |place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-00062-7 |last2=Yung Teng |first2=Chia-yee}}
6. {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Intermediate Chinese Reader |year=1972 |author-mask=3 |author-mask2=3 |orig-date=1967 |isbn=978-0-300-00414-4 |last2=Yung Teng |first2=Chia-yee |last3=Yung |first3=Chih-sheng}} Part 1: {{ISBN|0-300-00065-0}}. Part 2: {{ISBN|0-300-00066-9}}
7. {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Advanced Chinese |year=1972 |author-mask=3 |author-mask2=3 |orig-date=1966 |place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-00056-6 |last2=Yung Teng |first2=Chia-yee}}
8. {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Character text for advanced Chinese |date=1972 |author-mask=3 |author-mask2=3 |orig-date=1966 |isbn=978-0-300-00411-3 |last2=Yung Teng |first2=Chia-yee}}
9. {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Advanced Chinese reader |year=1968 |author-mask=3 |author-mask2=3 |publication-place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |language=zh |isbn=978-0-300-01083-1 |oclc=567 |last2=Yung Teng |first2=Chia-yee |last3=Yung |first3=Chih-sheng |last4=Seton Hall University}}
10. {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Index Volume; Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Texts in Spoken and Written Chinese |year=1968 |author-mask=3 |author-mask2=3 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-01311-5 |last2=Yung Teng |first2=Chia-yee}}
11. {{Citation |last=Mao |first=Zedong |title=Annotated quotations from Chairman Mao |year=1975 |place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-01749-6 |last2=DeFrancis |first2=John}}

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Accompanying Supplementary Readers for the Intermediate Chinese Reader, (Yale University Press, 1976):

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1. {{Citation |last=Ho |first=Chih-yu |title=The White-Haired Girl |title-link=The White-Haired Girl |year=1976 |editor-last=DeFrancis |editor-first=John |script-title=zh:白毛女 |place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University |isbn=978-0-887-10116-8}}
2. {{Citation |last=Ho |first=Chih-yu |title=The Red Detachment of Women |title-link=The Red Detachment of Women (novel) |year=1976 |editor-last=DeFrancis |editor-first=John |author-mask=3 |script-title=zh:白毛女 |place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University |oclc=3683318 |editor-mask=3}}
3. {{Citation |last=Wang |first=Hsin-ling |title=Episodes From the "Dream of the Red Chamber" |year=1976 |editor-last=DeFrancis |editor-first=John |publisher=Yale University |oclc=228897563 |last2=Cao |first2=Xueqin |editor-mask=3}}
4. {{Citation |last=Yung Teng |first=Chia-yee |title=Sun Yat-sen |year=1976 |editor-last=DeFrancis |editor-first=John |publisher=Yale University |oclc=729092164 |editor-mask=3}}
5. {{Citation |last=Yung Teng |first=Chia-yee |title=Wu Song Kills a Tiger |year=1976 |editor-last=DeFrancis |editor-first=John |publisher=Yale University |isbn=978-0-887-10120-5 |last2=Shih |first2=Nai-an |author1-mask=3 |editor-mask=3}}

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{{Refbegin}}

• Chinese Agent in Mongolia, translated from the Chinese of Ma Ho-t'ien (Johns Hopkins Press, 1949)
• {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Nationalism and language reform in China |date=1972 |author-mask=0 |place=New York |publisher=Octagon |isbn=978-0-374-92095-1}}
• Report of the Second Round Table Meeting on Linguistics, Language Teaching Monograph Series on Languages and Linguistics, Number 1 (Georgetown University Press, 1951)
• Bibliography on Chinese Social History, by E-tu Zen and John DeFrancis (Yale University, Far Eastern Publications, 1952)
• Talks on Chinese History (with Elizabeth Jen Young) (Far Eastern Publications, 1952)
• Chinese Social History, by E-tu Zen and John DeFrancis (American Council of Learned Societies, 1956)
• Chinese-English Glossary of the Mathematical Sciences (American Mathematical Society, 1964)
• {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Things Japanese in Hawaii |year=1973 |author-mask=0 |place=Honolulu |publisher=University of Hawaiʻi Press |isbn=978-0-824-80233-2}}
• {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Colonialism and Language Policy in Viet Nam |volume=19 |year=1977 |author-mask=0 |series=Contributions to the Sociology of Language |place=The Hague |publisher=Mouton |isbn=978-9-027-97643-7}}
• {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy |title-link=The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy |year=1984 |author-mask=0 |place=Honolulu |publisher=University of Hawaiʻi Press |isbn=978-0-824-80866-2}}
• {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=Visible Speech: the Diverse Oneness of Writing Systems |year=1989 |author-mask=0 |place=Honolulu |publisher=University of Hawaiʻi Press |isbn=978-0-824-81207-2}}
• {{Citation |last=DeFrancis |first=John |title=In the footsteps of Genghis Khan |year=1993 |author-mask=0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwDJ-3XPNooC |place=Honolulu |publisher=University of Hawaiʻi Press |isbn=978-0-824-81493-9 |via=Google Books}}
• "[http://www.sino-platonic.org/complete/spp171_chinese_writing_reform.pdf The Prospects for Chinese Writing Reform]", Sino-Platonic Papers No. 171, 2006

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Editor of bilingual Chinese dictionaries (University of Hawai'i Press), which are used as databases for software such as Wenlin:

• ABC Chinese-English Dictionary (1996, pocket edition 1999) {{ISBN|0-7007-1190-2}}.
• ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (2003) {{ISBN|0-8248-2766-X}}.
• ABC Chinese-English/English-Chinese Dictionary (2010) {{ISBN|0-8248-3485-2}}

• {{Cite journal |last=Duncanson |first=Dennis |year=1985 |title=The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy by John DeFrancis |journal=The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland |publisher=Cambridge University Press |issue=2 |page=245 |doi=10.1017/S0035869X00138912 |jstor=25211897 |s2cid=163296169}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Chen |first=Matthew Y. |date=September 1986 |title=The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy by John DeFrancis |journal=Language |publisher=Linguistic Society of America |volume=62 |issue=3 |pages=690–694 |jstor=415490 |s2cid=145783028}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Wadley |first=Stephen |date=Spring 1986 |title=The Chinese Language. Fact and Fantasy. by John DeFrancis |journal=Pacific Affairs |publisher=University of British Columbia |volume=59 |issue=1 |pages=114–115 |jstor=2759019}}
• {{Cite journal |last=King |first=Brian |date=June 1991 |title=Visible Speech: The Diverse Oneness of Writing Systems by John DeFrancis |journal=Language |publisher=Linguistic Society of America |volume=67 |issue=2 |pages=377–379 |doi=10.2307/415119 |jstor=415119}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Chung |first=Karen Steffen |date=September 1998 |title=ABC Chinese-English (Alphabetically Based Computerized) Dictionary by John DeFrancis |journal=Language |publisher=Linguistic Society of America |volume=74 |issue=3 |pages=660–661 |doi=10.2307/415119 |jstor=417822}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Hannas |first=William C. |date=December 1991 |title=Visible Speech: The Diverse Oneness of Writing Systems by John DeFrancis |journal=Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews |volume=13 |pages=119–122 |jstor=495058}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Steinberg |first=Danny D. |last2=Yamada |first2=Jun |date=1978–1979 |title=Are Whole Word Kanji Easier to Learn than Syllable Kana? |journal=Reading Research Quarterly |publisher=Wiley |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=88–99 |jstor=747295}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite journal|editor-last=Mair|editor-first=Victor H.|url=https://www.sino-platonic.org/complete/spp027_john_defrancis.pdf|title= Schriftfestschrift: Essays on Writing and Language in Honor of John DeFrancis on His Eightieth Birthday|journal=Sino-Platonic Papers|issue=27|date= August 31, 1991}}
• {{cite journal | first = Victor H. | last = Mair | author-link=Victor H. Mair | title = John DeFrancis, August 31, 1911 – January 2, 2009 | journal = Journal of Chinese Linguistics | volume = 37 | number = 1 | year = 2009 | jstor = 23753621 | pages = 184–186}}

{{Wikiquote|John DeFrancis}}

• [https://wenlin.com/jdf John DeFrancis biography], Wenlin Institute
• [http://www.pinyin.info/readings/chinese_language.html Contents and excerpt from The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy], Pinyin.info
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718121020/http://www.chinesestudies.hawaii.edu/community/?person=DeFrancis_John&group=associates John DeFrancis page], University of Hawai'i at Manoa
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afaVjLlnUtQ John DeFrancis' acceptance speech] for the Walton Lifetime Achievement Award of the Chinese Language Teachers Association in 1998.
• [http://johndefrancis.wordpress.com/ John DeFrancis Memorial 1911-2009]
• Andrew Leonard: [https://archive.today/20130201214213/http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2009/01/08/john_defrancis/index.html?source=rss&aim=/tech/htww A name China scholars will remember] Salon, January 8, 2009.
• [http://thechinabeat.blogspot.com/2009/01/remembering-john-defrancis.html Remembering John DeFrancis] The China Beat (blog). 1/21/2009.

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Category:20th-century American linguists

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Category:Lexicographers of Chinese

Category:American lexicographers