“During his time as chair, the department became one of the most highly ranked departments in the country,” said Karen Rosenberg, professor of anthropology.

Cole’s research focused on comparative syntax, linguistic theory and field methods for the study of endangered languages. He was very interested in how the scientific study of language can contribute to cognitive science.
He was also well known for his collegiality and kindness and has been described by his colleagues as “a gentle, highly intelligent man who would offer able assistance on anything in his purview.”

“Peter was a ‘mensch’ — a Yiddish word that describes a kind and considerate person who thinks of others before himself,” said Roberta Golinkoff, Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Chair and professor in the School of Education, who holds a joint appointment in linguistics and cognitive science. “I will miss his ready laugh.”

According to a 2021 study by Australian researchers, 7,000 documented languages currently are spoken around the world, but half could be endangered, and 1,500 of these languages may no longer be spoken by the end of this century.

Soon after receiving his doctoral degree in linguistics from the University of Illinois in 1973, Cole began concentrating on contemporary Hebrew and later became interested in the Quechua languages of the Andes mountains of South America. He spent a decade working on varieties of Chinese and then became very interested in Malay and Indonesian.

During his UD career, Cole received multiple grants from the National Science Foundation with his wife and close research collaborator, UD Professor Emerita Gabriella (Gaby) Hermon, and other collaborators to study the syntax of long-distance (LD) reflexives, LD movement and Indonesian syntax, and to develop a training program in linguistic fieldwork and endangered language documentation.