In memoriam: W.C. Watt
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UC Irvine cognitive sciences professor emeritus | 1932-2025
W.C. Watt, UC Irvine cognitive sciences professor emeritus, passed away on Nov. 19, 2025 at the age of 93.
A linguist by training, Watt pursued research on cognitive semiotics - the various symbols, including language, that we use to create meaning. He published numerous book chapters and works in journals including Semiotica, the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, and the American Journal of Semiotics. His work spanned systems as varied as language, writing, psycholinguistics, and even the symbolic structures encoded in cattle brands. He also pursued topics in architecture, generative homiletics and, a particular favorite among students, the formal study of film, including a "Sociology of Horror Film" course he co-taught in the early 70s.
Watt retired from UCI in 1991 when he was 62, but he continued running the department honors program, speaking at conferences and publishing work long after. In total, he published roughly 100 journal articles, most as sole author, including a nine-paper series on the proper characterization of the alphabet that he began in 1970. The final installment, opening with the line, "What follows is the final summation and extension of a series of 'proper characterization' papers that began publication fifty years ago," was under review at the time of his death.
Read more about his career, life and legacy: https://www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/news/2026/2026-01-07-in-memoriam-w-c-watt
Join us for a memorial on campus in SBSG 1517 Wednesday, February 25th at 1:00 p.m. Please RSVP if you plan to attend: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfaAaitHKddYbzOCIEO7M9wfsyURv1DNSi27S_TwBzKiR_WHg/viewform
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