Kachru was born in Srinagar, Kashmir.
AB Wire
Well-known Indian American linguist and Jubilee Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign Braj B. Kachru, 84, has passed away on July 29.
Born in Srinagar, Kashmir on 15, May 1931, into a Kashmiri Pandit family, Kachru had held many higher posts at the University of Illinois. He was the head of the Department of Linguistics from 1968 to 79. He directed the Division of English as an International Language and was director of the Center for Advanced Study.
1n 1978, he was appointed the director of the Linguistic Institute of the Linguistic Society of America. Kachru founded the International Association of World Englishes and was a member of the Indian Cultural Society.
Kachru was named the president of American Association of Applied Linguistics in 1984. He was named Jubilee Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Illinois in 1992. In 1998, he became the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund Visiting Professor at Hong Kong University.
In 1987, Kachru was awarded Duke of Edinburgh Award. He has authored many books and articles and edited several research papers. His notable works include ‘The Alchemy of English: The Spread, Functions and Models of Non-native Englishes,’ and ‘The Indianization of English: The English Language in India.’
Apart from English, Kachru has published many works on the Kashmiri language. He is survived by his daughter and son. His wife Yamuna Keskar, who was also a linguist, died in 2013.