NESPITAL, Helmut Ernst Robert. Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg 4.8.1936 — Berlin 10.5.2001. German Indologist (Hindi Scholar). Professor in Bamberg. Son of Fritz N. und Elfriede Thiel. Grew up in Berlin. Studied at Humbold University in Berlin (East), began with philosophy, but soon turned to Oriental languages (Indian, Persian, Turkish, Arabic). M.A. 1960 Berlin. Then further studies of Hindi under Pořízka at Prague. Ph.D. 1965 Prague. In 1965-77 taught Hindi at Humboldt University. In 1968-69 one year in Allahabad. Habilitation 1977 Humboldt University in modern Indian languages. In 1978 moved to West Germany (via India). From 1980 PD at Freie Universität Berlin. From 1982 Professor für allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft at Bamberg, from 1990 Professor of Indology (New Indian Languages) at Freie Universität Berlin. Died of cancer. Married, children.
Nespital was one of the best Western scholars of Hindi in the 20th century. His Kriyākoś is of fundamental importance. He also knew several other Indian languages.
Publications: Diss. Die Form und syntaktische Funktion des Adverbs in der modernen Hindi-Schriftsprache. Prague 1965; diss. 2. (habil.) Zur Theorie und Methodik der semantischen Analyse von grammatischen Kategorien und Grammemen des Verbs im Hindi und Urdu ind ihre Anwendung auf die komplexe Untersuchung der Futurgrammeme. Manuscript, B. 1977 (rev. publ. 1981 below).
– Articles on Hindi and Indian linguistics since 1968, e.g. “Einige Hauptmerkmale der Entwicklung des Verbsystems im Alt-, Mittel- und Neuindoarischen”, WZBerlin 25:3, 1976, 393-398.
– Das Futursystem im Hindi und Urdu. Ein Beitrag zur semantischen Analyse der Kategorien Tempus, Aspekt und Modus und ihrer Grammeme. 18+340 p. Schriftenr. des Südasien-Inst. der Univ. Heidelberg 29. St. 1981 (rev. hab.diss.).
– “The use of non-perfective simple verbs and of perfective verbal expressions (‘compound verbs’) in New Indo-Aryan Languages – grammatical, lexical and pragmatic criteria for their selection”, Fs. Berger 1996, 184-202.
– Lokabhāratī Hindī kriyā-koś / Dictionary of Hindi Verbs: containing all simple and compound verbs, their lexical equivalents in English and illustrations of their usage. 28+1165 p. Allahabad 1997.
Sources: D.G.K. 14th ed. 1983; *17th ed. 1996; A.J. Gail in FU-Nachrichten 10/2001 and ZDMG 152, 2002, 1-3 with photo; *D.W. Lönne (ed.), Toḥfa-e-Dil: Festschrift Helmut Nespital. Reinbek 2001; Berl. Indol. St. 15-17, 2003, 1f.; geni.com.
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