BUCK, Carl Darling. Orland/Bucksport, Me. 2.10.1866 — Chicago, Ill. 8.2.1955. U.S. Linguist (IE and Classical Scholar). Professor in Chicago. The only child of Edward Buck and Emeline Darling, both of old New England families. Educated at Eastern Maine Conference Seminary in Bucksport, studies at Yale: A.B. 1886, Ph.D. 1889. At Yale also began Sanskrit under Whitney. In 1887-89 at American School of Classical Studies in Athens, briefly also in Egyptian excavations, then 1889-92 at Leipzig (Brugmann and Leskien). Then taught at the new University of Chicago: 1892-94 Assistant Professor of Sanskrit and Comparative IE Philology, 1894-1900 Associate Professor, and 1900-1933 Professor of the same, 1903-33 also head of the department. In 1933 emeritus. Ph.D.h.c. 1912 Athens, Litt.D. 1935 Princeton. Married in 1889 Clarinda Darling Swazey, two sons and one daughter.
Buck was a minute linguist who did valuable detail work, but was deemed an uninspiring teacher. In his research he mainly concentrated on Greek and Italic, but included Sanskrit in his teaching until 1908 (when Clark took over). Worked much on Italic languages and Greek dialects. Among his students were L. Bloomfield, G. S. Lane and Sturtevant.
Publications: Diss. The Choregia in Athens and Ikaria. Manuscript 1889, publ. in AJA 5, 1899, 18-33 and in ASCSA Papers 5, 1892, 77-92.
– “The Accusative Plural of Ḭ-, Ṷ- and R-Stems in Sanskrit and Avestan”, AJPh 11, 1890, 291-301; “Brugmann’s Law and the Sanskrit Vṛddhi”, AJPh 17, 1896, 445-472; “Words of Speaking and Saying in the Indo-European Languages”, AJPh 36, 1915, 1-18 & 125-154 (including Indo-Iranian, even NIA); and other articles in AJPh, ClPh, Language, etc., especially much on Greek.
– Vocalismus der oskischen Sprache. 219 p. Lp. 1892; Grammar of Oscan and Umbrian. 17+252 p. 5 pl. Boston 1904, also in German.
– With W. G. Hale: Latin Grammar. 11+388 p. Boston 1903.
– Introduction to the study of Greek dialects. Boston 1909, rev. 2nd ed. as The Greek dialects; grammar, selected inscriptions, glossary. 18+347 p. B. 1928; Dental terminations 1. Studies in Greek Noun-Formations. 46 p. Chicago 1918; Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin. 16+405 p. Chicago 1933; with W. Petersen: A reverse index of Greek Nouns and Adjectives. 17+765 p. Chicago 1943.
– Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in principal Indo-European languages. 19+1515 p. Chicago 1949.
Sources: W.M. Calder in Briggs (ed.), Biogr. Dict. of N. Am. Class. 1994, 70-72; G.S. Lane, *Language 31, 1955, 181-189 (republ. in Sebeok 1966:2, 266-277); J.W. Poultney, Lex. gramm. 1996, 139f.; Who Was Who in Am. 3, 1951-60; Nat. Cyclop. of Am. Biogr. Current Vol. A; Wikipedia.
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