John William Alan Okell OBE (/oʊˈkɛl/; 1934 – 3 August 2020) was a British linguist notable for his expertise in the field of Burma studies.

Okell was born in Brighton and was educated at The Queen's College, University of Oxford, where he read Literae Humaniores ("Greats").

"[3][2] At SOAS, he studied Burmese with Hla Pe and Anna J. Allott, phonetics with R. K. Sprigg and N. C. Scott, and general linguistics with R. H. Robins and Eugénie Henderson.

[2] After eighteen months of study, he travelled to Burma, where he spent a year (1960–1961) immersing himself in the country's language and culture.

[5] Following his retirement, he continued his teaching of Burmese through short courses convened in a variety of places, most notably Chiang Mai and Yangon.