On 5 March, Iosif Sternin, a great scholar and an outstanding person, Honoured Scientist, Head of the Communication Studies Centre, Professor at the Department of General Linguistics and Stylistics, died at the age of 74 after a severe and prolonged illness.
His contribution to science can hardly be overestimated. Sternin’s works on linguistics theory, semantics, contrastive and cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics, linguistic manipulation theory, rhetoric, and forensic linguistics are known not only in Russia but also abroad. They have been published in English, German, and Arabic.
Professor Sternin headed the Voronezh Scientific School of General and Russian Linguistics; 15 doctoral dissertations and 77 PhD dissertations were defended under his supervision. Iosif Sternin had a unique talent for engaging students in scientific activities and inspiring their enthusiasm for learning the laws of linguistics.
From 1995 to 2014, Iosif Sternin was head of the Department of General Linguistics and Stylistics, and under his leadership the department became one of the top-rated departments of the university.
Professor Sternin was actively involved in educational work. He initiated the formation of the regional Service of the Russian Language in Voronezh, the radio program “Word Territory”, and rhetoric competitions in schools. He also held annual events devoted to the Russian language in Voronezh libraries.
Iosif Sternin was a passionate lecturer, capable of captivating any audience, both professors and schoolchildren. He was not only an outstanding scientist with excellent organisational skills, he was also a remarkable person, always ready to help everyone. In 2016, Professor Sternin and his sister, Professor Marina Sternina, organised the Foundation for the Support of Young Linguists, and many postgraduate, master’s, and undergraduate students received funds from it.
Iosif Sternin had a proactive approach to life and was highly respected not only in the academic community but also in the public sphere.
Everyone who had the chance to meet this remarkable man had great respect and sincere love for him. For all those who knew Iosif Sternin, his death was an irrevocable loss.
Let us never forget Iosif Sternin!
