LIDÉN, Bror Per Evald. Skandared, Sandhult, Älvsborg län 3.10.1862 — Gothenburg 11.10.1939. Swedish Indologist and IE Scholar. Professor in Gothenburg. Son of farmer Gustaf Lidén (1824–1884) and Sissa Nilsson, educated in Borås and Jönköping. Studies at Uppsala from 1883: fil.kand. (M.A.) 1890, fil.lic. 1895. From 1895 PD of IE linguistics (indoeuropeisk språkvetenskap) at Uppsala. From 1899 acting (eo.) Professor of Comparative linguistics and Sanskrit (i jämförande språkforskning med sanskrit) at Gothenburg, from 1917 ordinary Professor of the same. Retired in 1929. From 1917 he was Head of the University’s Institute of place-name and dialect research and in 1921-29 Rector of University. In 1922-35 he was also chairman of Göteborgs och Bohuslän’s Antiquarian Society, and from 1921 of Indogermanische Gesellschaft. Honorary Ph.D. 1907 Uppsala and 1929 Copenhagen. Married 1903 Agda Lemann (1877–1959), three daughters.
Lidén started as a student of Nordic philology, but soon get interest in comparative linguistics. He restricted methodically his studies in etymology and wrote succinctly and strictly scholarly. He was not at all interested in popularizing. A further interest was Scandinavian place-name research and as an eager fisherman he was also interested in the origins of Swedish fish and fishing vocabulary.
Publications: Studien zur altindischen und vergleichenden Sprachgeschichte. 107 p. Skrifter utg. af K. Human. Vet.samf. i Ups. 6:1. Uppsala 1897.
– Ein baltisch-slavisches Auslautsgesetz. 31 p. G.H.Å. 5. 1899.
– “Baumnamen und Verwandtes”, IF 18, 1905-06, 485-509 (etymological, often starting from Armenian).
– Armenische Studien. 149 p. G.H.Å. 12. 1906.
– “Indische Etymologien”, KZ 40, 1907, 256-265.
– Studien zur tocharischen Sprachgeschichte. 37 p. G.H.Å. 22:3. Gbg. 1916.
– A number of shorter articles, also much in and on Swedish.
Sources: Hj. Frisk, S.B.L. 22, 1979, 687-689; Uppsala Univ. Matr. 1896; *G. Holm, Lex. gramm. 1996, 575; Göteborg Högskolans Matrikel 1891–1916 and 1916–1941 (with bibliography); Swedish Wikipedia with photo.
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