KRUŠEVSKIJ, Nikolaj Vjačeslavovič (Polish Mikołaj Kruszewski). Luc’k, Western Ukraina 6.12.1851 — Kazan 31.10.1887. Polish Indologist and IE Linguist in Russia, best known as a Phonetician. Son of a Polish landowner. After studies in Warsaw, worked in 1875-78 as schoolteacher in Troick (Ural), then further studies at Kazan under Baudoin de Courtenay. PD 1879 Kazan, of Sanskrit and Russian Phonetics. Mag. 1881, now obtained the charge of the chair of Sanskrit and Comparative Grammar of IE Languages. Doctor 1883, now eo. professor, and 1885 Professor on the same chair. In 1886 retired because of serious mental illness. Important pioneer of phonology.

Publications: “Vosem’ gimnov Rig-Vedy”, Učen. Zap. Kaz. univ. 1879 (transl. of 8 hymns from the Rigveda), articles on phonetics also dealing with Sanskrit (and with Russian and French).

Mag.diss.: “K voprosu o gune”, Russk. Filol. Vestn. 1880; Über die Laut­abwechslung. 41 p. Kazan 1881.

Dr.diss.: “Očerk nauki o jazyke”, Učen. Zap. Kaz. univ. 1883, in German: “Principien der Sprachentwicklung”, Intern. Zeitschrift f. allgem. Sprach­forschung 3, 1886.

Writings in General Linguistics: ‘On Sound Alternation’ (1881) and ‘Outline of Linguistic Science’ (1883). Ed. with an introduction by E. F. K. Koerner. 11+188 p. Amsterdam 1995.

Sources: Biobibl. slovar’ Kazan 1, 1904, 114f.; briefly mentioned in Bongard-Levin & Vigasin 1984, 99; *J. Baudouin de Courtenay, Mikołaj Kruszewski, his life & scholarly work (transl. by W. Browne, and ed. by A. Adamska-Sałaciak and M- Smoczyńska). Cracow 2005; Wikipedia with photo.