William Branford

William Richard Grenville (Bill). (1927-) Literary scholar, linguist, poet, actor, director and playwright. Author of works on the English language and linguistics, as well as a play. Branford came to South Africa as a child, went to school at St Andrew's College in Grahamstown, and studied at the Universities of Cambridge, Cape Town and Natal. Branford lectured at various South African universities, and became founding Professor of the Department of English Language and Linguistics at Rhodes University and Director of the Institute for the Study of English in Africa. He is the author of a play entitled Judgement of the Lion that was produced and published in Durban in 1958. Branford also wrote a textbook entitled The Elements of English (1967), and in 1946 adapted Peter Abrahams's Mine Boy for the stage. In 1954 co-directed (with William Pople) and performed in the first production of H.I.E. Dhlomo’s epic drama Dingane (with his students at the University of Natal Medical School). Married to linguist Jean Branford, first editor of the Dictionary of South African English.