GAUTHIOT, Robert-Edmond. Paris 13.6.1876 — Val-de-Grâce, Paris 11.9.1916. French Linguist, specialist of Iranian and Uralic, a Pioneer of Sogdian Studies. Son of a French teacher of German, Charles G., and a German mother, educated in Paris at Lycée St.Louis (where his father was teaching) and Lycée Henri IV. Studies in Paris from 1892, 1894 licencié in German. In 1898 military service and teacher’s examination, from 1898 chargé de cours in German at Lycée Voltaire in Paris. Started work at a dissertation on Low German literature, became interested in linguistics and began study under Meillet. From 1900 as a teacher of German at Lycée de Tourloing he was in an economically safe position and could marry. In the same year a linguistic trip to Lithuania. In 1901 and 1904 visited Finland in order to learn the language. Ph.D. 1913. From 1905 directeur d’études adjoint for comparative grammar at É.P.H.É. In summer 1913 visited the Yaghnob Valley with Junker, but in 1914 the war interrupted the second expedition to the Pamirs. In the war he served as a captain, died in the neuralgia following the shock caused by a shell explosion.
In the first place Gauthiot was an IE linguist, although also interested in Finno-Ugrian. From Meillet he got the task of publishing the Iranian material of Pelliot expedition and became thus interested in Sogdian (including Yaghnobi). He wrote its grammar and prepared a dictionary. He was also politically active as a socialist.
Publications: “La phrase nominale en finno-ougrien”, MSL 15, 1900, 201-272; Le parler de Buividze: essai de description d’un dialecte lituanien oriental. 112 p. P. 1903.
– Diss. La fin de mot en indo-européen. 229 p. P. 1913; diss. complémentaire Essai sur le vocalisme du Sogdien. 18+113 p. P. 1913.
– “Quelques termes techniques bouddhiques et manichéens”, JA 10:18, 1911, 49-67 (in Soudain); “Une version sogdienne du Vessantara Jātaka publ. en transcription et avec traduction”, JA 10:19, 1912, 163-193, 429-510.
– Essai de Grammaire sogdien. 1. Phonétique. 11+18+183 p. P. 1914 (2. by E. Benveniste, q.v.).
– With (and edited by) P. Pelliot: Le Sûtra des causes et effets du bien et du mal. Edité et trad. d’après les textes sogdien, chinois et tibétains. 1-2. 52 pl. 35 p. P. 1920-26 (1. Facs. text; 2. Comm. & index).
– “Trois mémoires sur l’unité linguistique des parlers iraniens”, MSL 20:1-2 & sep. 47 p. Paris 1916.
– Articles and reviews in JA, MSL, etc.
Sources: *G. Ciardi-Dupré, GSAI 28, 1916-17, 212f.; H. Cordier, TP 17, 1916, 265-267; H. Junker, Idg. Jb. 6, 1918, 126-129; *B. Le Calloc’h, “R.G. et la linguistique finno-ougrienne”, Études finno-ougr. 23, 1991, 7-23; *A. Meillet, BSL 20, 1916, 127-132 & Annuaire de l’É.P.H.É. 1917, 57-61; G.-J. Pinault, D.O.L.F. 430f.; D.B.F. fasc. 88, 1981; briefly Wikipedia with photo (little more in French version); photo in Pedersen 1959, 187.
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