GABELENTZ, Hans Georg Conon von der. Poschwitz bei Altenburg (Thüringen) 16.3.1840 — Lemnitz (Thüringen) 11.12.1893. German Sinologist. Son of —> H. C. v. d. G. and Henriette von Linsingen. After gymnasium in Altenburg studied law at Jena (or Halle, also linguistics). He worked from 1864 as an assistant judge in Dresden, but also continued his studies and completed Ph.D. at Leipzig in 1876 with Sinological dissertation, From 1878 ao. Professor für ostasiatische Sprachen at Leipzig, being the very first Professor of East Asian languages in Germany. From 1882 ord. honor. Professor. In 1889 he moved to Berlin, where his official title was Professor für vergleichende Sprachwissenschaft. From 1889 member of Prussian A.W. Married 1872 Alexandra von Rotkirch (1854–1925), divorced, two sons, 1891 Gertrud von Adelebsen (née von Oldershausen, 1858–1904), one son.
Georg von der Gabelentz was a many-sided philologist, especially interested in Chinese, Japanese, Manchu and Malayo-Polynesian. He wrote the first Chinese grammar freed from the Latin pattern. Also knew Sanskrit. Among his students were Wenzel, F. W. K. Müller and K. Florenz.
Publications: Wrote much about Manchu Manchu and Chinese, etc.
– Chinesische Grammatik. 552 p. Lp. 1881.
– “Einiges über die Sprachen der Nicobaren-Inseln”, BVSGW 37, 1885, 296-307.
– “Kolarische Sprachen”, Ersch und Grubers Allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste II Serie, 84, 1885, 104-108; “Kuki. Volk und Sprache”, Ibid. II:38, 1885,
– Die Sprachwissenschaft, ihre Aufgaben, Methoden und bisherigen Ergebnisse. Lp. 1891, 2nd ed. 21+520 p. Lp. 1901.
Sources: W. Böttger, N.D.B. 6, 1964, 3; *D. Cherubim, Lex. gramm. 1996, 320f.; *E. Coseriu, “G.v.d.G. et la linguistique synchronique”, Word 23, 1967, 74-100;*E. Erkes, WZLeipzig 1953-54:4, 386-392; *M. Gimm, Georg von der Gabelentz zum Gedenken. Materialien zu Leben und Werk. Sinologica Coloniensia 32. Wiesbaden 2013 (with Addenda und Corrigenda in ZDMG 166, 2016, 219-228);W. Grube, A.D.B. 50, 1905, 548-555; *Chr. Leibfried, Sinologie an der Universität Leipzig. Lp. 2003, 25-50; *G. Schlegel, TP 5, 1894, 75-78; Stache-Weiske 2017, 521; M. Taube, WZLeipzig 1979:1, 34-39 with photo; JRAS 1894, 166; Wikipedia (more in German version, also photo, bibliography and further references).
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