BIESE, Yrjö Moses Jalmari. Helsinki 4.1.1903 — Helsinki 7.11.1983. Finnish Indologist and Linguist (Classical Philology and English). Professor in Turku. Son of Ernst Hjalmar Biese (1864–1925), a procurator, and Helmi Katarina Ahlman, a painter. Matriculated 1921 from Helsingin Normaalilyseo. Studies of classical and modern languages and Sanskrit at Helsinki: Kand.phil. 1924, M.A. 1927, Lic.phil. 1928, Ph.D. 1950. Further studies of classical languages at Innsbruck 1925, of classical and comparative philology at Lund and Basel 1926, of English and Indian philology at Oxford 1928. In 1924-28 teacher of Latin, Greek, and Swedish at his old school, 1928-46 senior teacher of Swedish and English at the same. Also taught English at War College (Sotakorkeakoulu) in 1929-57 and at Institute of Social Sciences (Yhteiskunnallinen korkeakoulu) 1932-46. From 1932 Docent of Comparative Linguistics at Helsinki University. In 1946-49 acting Professor of Roman Literature (Latin) at Helsinki. From 1946 Professor of English at University of Turku. Retired 1967. He also taught Sanskrit in 1934 and 1939-50 at Helsinki. Married 1930 Iné Karsten (1904–2006!), an architect, one son and one daughter. Member of Finnish Academy of Science and Letters 1949, of Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters 1955.
Publications: Diss. Der spätlateinische Akkusativus absolutus und Verwandtes. 8+182 p. AASF B:22:2, 1928; other writings on classical and English philology; much used school books of English.
– “Der Gebrauch von as und bhū im Aitareyabrāhmaṇa”, Arctos 2, 1931, 44-65; “Some notes on the Formation and use of Nominal Compounds in the Rigveda”, St. Or. 11:7, 1946, 14 p.; “Some Notes on the Origin of the Indo-european Nominative Singular”, AASF B 63:6, 1950, 15 p.
Sources: H. Halén 1990; obituary in Helsingin Sanomat 19.11.1983; Helsingin yliopisto / Helsingfors Universitet. Opettajat ja virkamiehet / Lärare och tjänstemän 1939–1968. 1977; Turun Yliopiston opettajat ja virkamiehet. (photo, another, as young man, in the earlier ed. of this teacher catalogue of Helsinki University, 1940); gw.geneanet.org; briefly in Finnish Wikipedia.
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