BALLY, Charles-Louis. Geneva 4.2.1865 — Geneva 10.4.1947. Swiss Linguist and Greek scholar. Son of a teacher, Jean B., and Henriette Ruffini, lost early his father (1870). From 1883 studied mainly Greek philology at Geneva, in the 1890s became de Saussure’s student, now also learned Sanskrit. Further studies at Berlin (dr.ph. 1889). In 1889-93 tutor in Greek royal family, then teacher in Genève. In 1900-1913 Professor of Greek at Collège Calvin in Geneva. At Geneva University he was PD in 1893-1913, then Prof. ord. de linguistique (générale & IE) et sanscrit from 1913, succeeding de Saussure (who had already left Sanskrit teaching to him in 1906. Retired in 1939.
Mainly worked on French language, but kept his interest in Sanskrit until death. Without rejecting diachrony he emphasizes synchronic view of living languages. Three times married.
Publications: Diss. De Euripidis tragoediarum partibus lyricis quaestionunculae. 54 p. Berolini 1889.
– “Accent grec, accent védique, accent indo-européen”, Mél. F. de Saussure 1908, 3-29.
– Précis de stylistique. 183 p. Geneva 1905; Traité de stylistique français. 264 p. Heidelberg 1909; Le langage et la vie. 1913, 292 p. new edd. 1926, 1935; Linguistique générale et linguistique française. 1932, 2nd rev. ed. 1945.
– Edited with A. Sechehaye: F. de Saussure, Cours de Linguistique générale. 336 p. Lausanne & Paris 1916, 2nd ed. P. 1922.
Sources: *J.L. Chiss, Lex. Gramm. 1996, 64; S. Durrer in Web HistLexSchweiz; *W. Hellmann: Charles Bally. Frühwerk, Rezeption, Bibliographie. Bonn 1988; *G. Redard, “Bibliographie chronologique des publications de Charles Bally”, Cahiers Ferdinand de Saussure 36, 1982, 25-41; J. Vendryes, *Cahiers Ferd. de Saussure 6, 1946-47, 47-62 (republ. in Sebeok 1966:2, 188-201); Schweizerisches Zeitgenossen-Lexikon 2nd ed., 1932; Schweizer Lexicon 1991 1; brief note in Idg.Jb. 28, 1949; Wikipedia.
*P.-Y. Testenoire, “À l’ombre de deux maîtres: la correspondance Bally–Vendryes”, V. Chepiga & E. Sofia (eds.), Correspondance entre linguistes. Louvain-la-Neuve 2017, 45-63.
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