CARNOY, Albert Joseph. Louvain (Leuven) 7.11.1878 — Louvain 12.1.1961. Belgian Linguist. Professor in Louvain. Son of a Professor of Philosophy. Studied at Louvain Romance and classical philology, wrote dr. dissertations in both (in 1901 and 1902). From 1902 Docent, from 1904 eo. Professor and from 1908 ord. Professor at Louvain, taught Greek, comparative IE linguistics and mythology, Sanskrit, and Iranian. During the WW I he was in the U.S.A., taught 1915-18 at Columbia Uni­ver­sity (N.Y.) and 1918-19 at University of California (Berkeley). In 1919 returned to Louvain for the rest of his life. Retired 1955. In the 1920s and early 1930s active in politics (1921-36 senator of Catholic Party, 1927-29 Minister for internal affairs). Married, at least one son.

AC was a many-sided and productive scholar, in the first place IE linguist especially interested in etymology. He also taught regularly Sanskrit (after the arrival of Lamotte he still held courses in Dutch). Also a pioneer of toponymic studies in Belgium. Among his students were Duchesne-Guillemin, Couvreur, Scharpé and van Windekens.

Publications: Diss. Le latin d’Espagne d’après les inscriptions. Étude linguistique. 1902, 2nd ed. 271 p. Bruxelles 1906.

– “Le nom des Mages”, Le Muséon 27, 1908, 121-158; “Aramati / Ārmatay, étude indo-iranienne”, Le Muséon 13, 1912, 127-146; “La magie dans l’Iran”, Le Muséon 33:2, 1915-16, 171-188; “Iranian Views of Origins in Connection with Similar Babylonian Beliefs”, JAOS 36, 1917, 300-320; “The Iranian Gods of Healing”, JAOS 38, 1918, 294-307; “L’idée du ‘royaume de dieu’ dans l’Iran”, Le Muséon 34, 1921, 81-106.

– Iranian Mythology. 164 p. The Mythology of All Races 6. Boston 1917.

– Grammaire élémentaire de la langue sanskrite comparée avec celle des langues indo-européennes. 8+215 p. Louvain 1925, rev. 2nd ed. 230 p. Louvain 1937.

– Les Indo-Européens. Préhistoire des langues, des mœurs et des croyances de l’Europe. 256 p. Bruxelles 1921; La science du mot. 7+426 p. Louvain 1927; Dictionnaire étymologique du proto-indo-européen. 12+224 p. Lv. 1955.

– Manuel de linguistique grecque; les sons, les formes, le style. 426 p. Lv. 1924; Dictionnaire étymologique de la mythologie gréco-romaine. 209 p. Lv. 1957; Dictionnaire étymologique des noms grecs de plantes. 277 p. Bibl. du Muséon 46. Lv. 1959; four books on Belgian onomastics (toponyms & family names), political writings, etc.

Sources: *P. Desmet & P. Swiggers, Lex. Gramm. 1996, 162f.; *G. Goossens, La Nouvelle Clio 10-12, 1958-62, 185-187; *H. Grégoire (ed.), Mélanges AC. 1953; K. Roelandts, Nat. Biogr. Woordenboek 1, 1964, c. 300-303; briefly French Wikipédia (little more in Dutch version); Chr. Vielle, Indianisme et bouddhisme à Louvain, de Félix Nève à Étienne Lamotte (https://dial.uclouvain.be/pr/boreal/object/boreal%3A226663/datastream/PDF_01/view) with photo; https://www.odis.be/hercules/toonPers.php?taalcode=nl&id=2357 with photo.