Featured Philosopher: George Jochnowitz

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in French in 1958, Dr. Jochnowitz followed with a master’s degree in linguistics in 1960 and a Doctor of Philosophy in linguistics in 1967, all from Columbia University in New York. He excelled as a linguistics professor at Temple University in Philadelphia from 1961 to 1963, New York University from 1963 to 1965, Queens College from 1965 to 1968, and the College of Staten Island for over three decades. Since 2002, he has been honored as a Professor Emeritus with the City University of New York.

Dr. Jochnowitz also taught linguistics in the People’s Republic of China in 1984 and 1989. He was present in the country during the massacre in Tiananmen Square with his daughter Miriam, an educator. His experiences are recounted in his book, “The Blessed Human Race: Essays on Reconsideration,” published in 2007. In addition, his articles on languages have appeared in numerous learned journals such as the International Journal of the Sociology of Language, Romance Philology, and Readings in the Sociology of Jewish Languages.

Dr. Jochnowitz has always had a fascination with language and dialect. His parents wanted him to be an engineer because they used to own a factory that made propeller parts. He began college as an engineering major but quickly realized that it was not for him, so he switched to French until he discovered linguistics and decided to pursue it. He considers his career highlight to be teaching, especially in China. Now retired, Dr. Jochnowitz intends to improve his piano playing in the coming years.