WIMMER, Ludvig Frands Adalbert. Ringkøbing on Jutland west coast 7.2.1839 — Copenhagen 29.4.1920. Danish Linguist. Son of Adalbert Ernst Wimmer, a customs officer, and Karoline Henriette Petersen. Educated in Kolding and Ribe. Studied at Copenhagen Germanics, classics, comparative linguistics and Sanskrit (under Westergaard), even Arabic and Hebrew. Ph.D. there 1868.…
WESTERGAARD, Niels Ludvig. Copenhagen 27.10.1815 — Copenhagen 9.9.1878. Danish Indologist and Iranian Scholar. Professor in Copenhagen. Son of a master carpenter, Niels Nielsen W. (1772–1835) and Sophie Magdalene Nyeborg. As a schoolboy he became interested, from the example of Rask, in comparative linguistics and Oriental languages. From 1833 studied at…
WEST, Hans. Mesinge, Fyn 6.7.1758 — Kassel 6.7.1811. Danish Scholar interested in India. Son of a minister, Hans Zacharias Danchel West (1719–1771) and Maren Hetting (1722–1778). Educated at Odense school. From 1788 rector of the Danish School in Christiansted, St. Croix (now of Virgin Islands). There he translated Jones’ English…
WALLICH, Nathanael Wolff (born as Nathan ben Wulff W.). Copenhagen 28.1.1786 — London 28.4.1854. Danish Physician and Botanist in India. Son of Wulff ben Wallich (Wolff Lazarus Walllich, 1756–1843), a Sephardic Jewish merchant with German background (from Altona), and Hanne Jacobson (1757–1839). After surgeon’s examination in 1816 in Copenhagen entered…
RASMUSSEN, Harald. Haderslev 28.8.1853 — Copenhagen 25.12.1904. Danish Schoolteacher and Oriental Scholar. Son of Harald Valdemar R. (1821–1891), a minister and scholar of Danish, and Hulda Arnkiel (1824–1874). Educated in Copenhagen. Studied theology at Copenhagen, kand.theol. 1877. From 1875 worked as schoolteacher at Forenede Kirkeskoler, from 1882 Senior Teacher, from…
RASK, Rasmus Kristian (bapt. Rasmus Christian Rasch). Brændekilde near Odense 22.11.1787 — Copenhagen 14.11.1832. Danish Linguist and Traveller, also interested in Sanskrit and Old Iranian. Professor in Copenhagen. Son of Niels Hansen Rasch (1749–1810), a smallholder and tailor, and Birthe Rasmusdatter (d. 1801). Educated at home and in Odense, became…
TUXEN, Poul. Frederiksberg near Copenhagen 8.12.1880 — Copenhagen 29.5.1955. Danish Indologist. Professor in Copenhagen. Son of Søren Ludvig Tuxen (1850–1919), teacher and classical philologist, and Johanne Margarethe Jørgensen. Educated at Bergerydskolen in Copenhagen, where his father was rector. Started Sanskrit as a schoolboy, matriculated 1899. Studied at Copenhagen Music (played…
TRENCKNER, Vilhelm (Carl Wilhelm). Copenhagen 26.2.1824 — Copenhagen (?) 9.1.1891. Danish Indologist. Son of G. Trenckner, a German-born baker, educated at German school in Copenhagen. From 1841 studied at Copenhagen Classics (Madvig), Semitic (Hermansen) and soon also Sanskrit and Old Iranian under Westergaard. A small capital gave him the occasion…
THOMSEN, Vilhelm Ludvig Peter. Sanders (?) 25.1.1842 — Copenhagen 12/13.5.1927. Danish Linguist. Professor in Copenhagen. Son of postmaster Ludvig Frederik Thomsen (1801–1860) and Elise Schlegel. According to Sandfeld 1942 he was born in Copenhagen, but went to school in Randers. Matriculated in 1859 from Randers Latin School. Studied at Copenhagen…
PEDERSEN, Holger. Gjelballe near Lunderskov, Kolding prov. 7.4.1867 — Hellerup near Copenhagen 25.10.1953. Danish Linguist. Professor in Copenhagen. Born in a teacher family in Jutland, son of school-teacher Christen Pedersen (1822–1877) and Dorthe Lauridsen (1826–1920). After school in Ribe he studied from 1885at Copenhagen classical philology, Danish and linguistics under…