Kay Williamson (1935 – January 3, 2005,
Brazil), born
Ruth Margaret Williamson was a
linguist who specialised in the study of African languages, particularly those of the
Niger Delta in
Nigeria, where she lived for nearly fifty years. She has been called "The Mother of Nigerian Linguistics." Her many publications include a grammar and dictionary of the
Ijo language, a dictionary of
Igbo and numerous articles on diverse topics. She is also notable for proposing the
Pan-Nigerian Alphabet.