FRISK, Jöns Ivan Hjalmar. Göteborg 4.8.1900 — Göteborg 1.8.1984. Swedish Linguist and Classical scholar. Professor in Gothenburg. Son of Nils Frisk, a civil servant (distrikts­föreståndaren). Matriculated from Gothenburg in 1918, then studied at the local uni­ver­sity (Högskola). Fil. mag. 1921, fil.lic. 1924, thesis 1927, Ph.D. 1928. From 1927 PD of Greek language and literature (acting Professor of classical philology in 1931 and 1932) at Göteborg Universität. In 1935 changed his Docentship into that of “jämförande indoeuropeisk språkforskning och sanskrit”, from 1937 acting Professor and from 1938 Professor of the same. In 1925-37 also taught classical languages at schools. From 1937 also in charge of teaching of Sanskrit and comparative IE at Lund. In 1967 emeritus.

Originally and mainly a Greek scholar, in his doctoral dissertation Frisk presented the first critical edition of a Greek text closely related with India and established his fame as a specialist of the history of Greek language. In his comparative studies he often dealt with Sanskrit material, too. His main work is the great Greek etymological dictionary.

Publications: Diss. Le Périple de la mer Érythrée. 7+145 p. Göteborg Högskolans Årsskrift (GHÅ) 33:1. 1927 (critical edition and study of language).

– Much on Greek philology, grammar, etymology, semantics etc. in GHÅ etc.

– Zum indoiranischen und griechischen Nominalbildung. 75 p. Göteb. Vetenskaps- och vitterhetssamhälles Handl. A:4:4. Göteborg 1934.

– “Wahrheit” und “Lüge” in den indogermanischen Sprachen. 39 p. GHÅ 41:3. 1936.

– Suffixales -th- im Indogermanischen. 50 p. GHÅ 42:2. 1936; Indogermanica. 34 p. GHÅ 44:1. 1938; Über den Gebrauch des Privativpräfixes im indogermanischen Adjektiv. 52 p. GHÅ 47:11. 1941.

– “RV. çípra”, MO 30, 1936 (1942), 78-89.

– Etyma Armeniaca. 36 p. 1944; Substantiva privativa im Indogermanischen. 126 p. GHÅ 53:3. 1948.

– Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. 1-3. Heidelberg 1954-72.

– Kleine Schriften zur Indogermanistik und zur griechischen Wortkunde. 463 p. Acta Univ. Gothoburgensis. Göteborg 1966.

Sources: Göteborg Högskolans Matrikel 194? and Lund Univ. Matrikel 1939, both with bibliography; Vem är det? 1983; briefly Wikipedia (little more in Swedish version); two photos in TitusGaleria.