Daniel Macdonald (missionary)

Daniel Macdonald (4 March 1846 – 18 April 1927) was a missionary to the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu). He was born in Alloa, Scotland, but migrated to Ballarat, Victoria. He studied at the Presbyterian Theological Hall in Melbourne, and was the first Australian-trained Presbyterian missionary to the New Hebrides.[1]

Macdonald served at Port Havannah on the island of Efate from 1872 to 1905.[2] He was the "most notable linguist in the history of the New Hebrides Mission", and was the "organising translator-editor" of the Nguna–Efate Old Testament published in 1908.[3] He, John W. Mackenzie, and Peter Milne each contributed approximately one third of the translation. Macdonald espoused the idea that Oceanic languages were of Semitic origin,[1] and promoted a hybrid Efatese language.[2] He and Milne were involved in a feud that lasted for more than fifteen years, which started with a disagreement over how to translate the word "God" in the local language.[4][5]

Macdonald was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree from McGill University, and served as moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria in 1896.[1]

He married Elizabeth Keir Geddie, daughter of missionary Rev. John Geddie.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b c J. Graham Miller, MACDONALD, Daniel (1846-1927) Archived 2014-12-02 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b Nicholas Thieberger, "“Compromise Literary Dialect” in Efate, Central Vanuatu", Oceanic Linguistics 47.2 (2008), p. 365.
  3. ^ J. Graham Miller, Live, Volume 2, p. 92.
  4. ^ Thieberger, "Compromise Literary Dialect", p. 367.
  5. ^ Thieberger, Nick; Ballard, Chris. "Daniel Macdonald and the "Compromise Literary Dialect" in Efate, Central Vanuatu" (PDF). UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I/UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE AND AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Rev. Daniel MacDonald, D.D." The Telegraph. Brisbane. 5 June 1895. p. 5. Retrieved 10 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus. Melbourne. 7 February 1945. p. 2. Retrieved 10 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.