HERMANN, Eduard. Coburg 19.12.1869 — Göttingen 14.2.1950. German IE scholar. Professor in Göttingen. Son of Ernst H., a Rentkommissar, and Augusta Marie Conrad. Studied classical philology and IE linguistics at Jena, Freiburg and Leipzig. Ph.D. 1894 Jena, under Delbrück. Teacher in Coburg, from 1903 in Bergedorf near Hamburg. From 1913 ao. Professor at Kiel, from 1914 ord. Professor at Frankfurt and from 1917 Wackernagel’s successor at Göttingen. Retired in 193?. Married Adele Gerber (1878–1967), two sons.

Hermann was an Indoeuropeist specially interested in Baltic languages (several travels in Lettland and Lithuania). He started as a Neogrammarian, was influenced by de Saussure and the Prague School and moved towards general linguistics. Apparently he was a Nazi. In his early IE works he also discussed Sanskrit, but was more interested in Lithuanian and Homer.

Publications: Diss. Gab es im Indogermanischen Nebensätze? Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Syntax. 61 p. Gütersloh 1894, also in KZ 33, 1895, 481-535.

– “Beiträge zu den idg. Hochzeitsgebräuchen”, IF 17, 1904-05, 373-387.

– Das Pronomen *i¡os als Adjektivum. Koburg 1897; Griechische Forschungen. 1. 1913; Silbenbildung im Griechischen und in den anderen Indogermanischen Sprachen. 16+381 p. KZ Erg.h. 2. Göttingen 1923.

– Much on linguistics, e.g. Lautgesetz und Analogie. 204 p. AGGW 23:3. B. 1931; “Was hat die indogermanische Sprachwissenschaft dem Nationalsozialismus zu bieten?”, GGA 1937, 49-59.

Sources: W. Krause, N.D.B. 8, 1969, 654; *G, Neumann, Lex. gramm. 1996, 410; photo in Idg. Jb. 30, 1955; German Wikipedia.