Joan Veny i Clar (Campos, Mallorca, 1932) is since 2003 emeritus professor at the University of Barcelona, where he was pre-tenured professor (1958) and Full University Professor (1983). He graduated in 1954 and defended the thesis in 1956, under the direction of Antoni M. Badia i Margarit, doctor honoris causa by the University of Valencia. He is member of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (Institute for Catalan Studies). Joan Veny is undoubtedly a fundamental reference in the field of Romance philology, in general, and of the Catalan dialectology, in particular.

Among other activities, he has been director of the Department of Catalan of the University of Barcelona, Vice-president and then President of the International Association of Catalan Language and Literature (1994-2000), Vice-President of the Philological Section of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans and member of the advisory board of scientific journals such as, Catalan Review, Estudis Romántics or Caplletra.

Among other honours he has been awarded with the Sanchis Guarner Award to the Unit of Catalan language (1986) for the book Introducció a la dialectologia catalana (Introduction to Catalan dialectology), the Creu de Sant Jordi de Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government) (1997) and the Medalla d'Honor i Gratitud del Consell of Mallorca (Council of Mallorca) (2001) and the Premi de la Fundació Catalana per a la Recerca (2004).

Even now, with advanced age, he is active and collaborative as he had accepted to be member of the Organising Committee of the Congrés Internacional de Lingüística Romànica, which was held at the University of Valencia in 2010.