AMPRA

Obituary for Dr. István Kecskés (1947-2025)

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. István Kecskés, President of the American Pragmatics Association (2012-2025), and Distinguished Professor at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Dr. Kecskés was a figurehead in the field of linguistics, particularly renowned for pioneering the disciplines of Bilingualism and Intercultural Pragmatics.

Born on September 20, 1947, in Miskolc, Hungary, Dr. Kecskés earned his Ph.D. in comparative linguistics from Kossuth University in 1977 and a Linguistics degree from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1986. In 1989, he relocated to the United States, where he began his distinguished tenure at the University at Albany (State University of New York).

Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Kecskés made significant contributions to the understanding of how speakers from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds communicate. His seminal book Intercultural Pragmatics (2014) comprehensively defined the discipline and has been instrumental in shaping contemporary research in the field. He was founding editor of the journal Intercultural Pragmatics, the Routledge book series New Waves in Pragmatics and served as editor-in-chief of the Mouton Series in Pragmatics.

In addition to his groundbreaking work in intercultural pragmatics, Dr. Kecskés was a dedicated educator, teaching graduate courses in pragmatics, second language acquisition, and bilingualism. His research interests spanned a wide array of topics, including the socio-cognitive approach to pragmatics, formulaic language in first and second languages, and the interplay between second language acquisition and bilingualism. As a passionate mentor of doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars alike, he shaped and fostered countless prolific careers across linguistic landscapes in the United States and worldwide.

Dr. Kecskés’s scholarly excellence was recognized through numerous honors awarded by both US American and international institutions. Among these were a Senior Fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation in 2004 and the Chancellor’s Excellence in Research Award from the State University of New York in 2014 as well as his many honorary titles and fellowships bestowed upon him internationally. He held honorary professorships at several esteemed institutions worldwide, reflecting his global impact on the field of linguistics. He had appointments at the National Research Tomsk State University (Russia), the University of Messina (Italy), at Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), and held the Yunshan Chair Professorship at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (Guangzhou, China).

Beyond his innumerous professional achievements, Dr. Kecskés was a devoted husband to his wife, Dr. Tünde Papp, with whom he co-authored the influential book Foreign Language and Mother Tongue (2000). He is survived by his wife and their two children.

Dr. István Kecskés’s legacy will continue to inspire scholars in linguistics and intercultural communication for generations to come. The American Pragmatics Association is profoundly grateful to him for his leadership, guidance and professional expertise.