VANÍČEK, Alois. Prague 21.6.1825 — Prague 9.5.1883. Czech IE Scholar. Son of a teacher. After school in Prague, in 1843-47 studies of law, but soon also Classics at Prague. In the early 1850s, under Curtius and Schleicher, also learned Sanskrit and IE linguistics. Worked as gymnasium professor in various towns,…
UHLENBECK, Christianus Cornelius. Voorburg, South Holland 18.10.1866 — Lugano, Switzerland 12.8.1951 (or 1959?). Dutch Linguist and IE Scholar. Professor in Leiden. Son of Peter Frederik U., a retired naval officer (serving in Indonesia) with German background, and Julie le Roux, grew up in Haarlem. Studied from 1885 Dutch Literature at…
ZUPITZA, Ernst. Oppeln in Schlesien (now Opole in Poland) 17.3.1874 — Greifswald 13.10.1917 (when 43). German IE Scholar. Professor in Greifswald. Son of Julius Zupitza (1844–1895), a Germanist and Anglist. Ph.D. 1896 Berlin. PD 1900 Greifswald. In 1901-17 as ao. Professor in charge of the teaching of IE linguistics at…
ZARUBIN, Ivan Ivanovič. St.Petersburg 27.9.(9.10.)1887 — Leningrad 3.2.1964. Russian Iranian Scholar. Son of a physician. Graduated 1912 from Historical-Philological Faculty, St.Petersburg, and from Juridical Faculty, Harkov. Dr. filol. nauk 1938. From 1910 naučnyj sotrudnik in Department of Central Asian Muslim Peoples, Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, from 1918 its Head.…
OTRĘBSKI, Jan Szczepan. Silica, Silesia 8.12.1889 — Poznań 25.4.1971. Polish IE and Balto-Slavic Scholar. Professor in Wilno (Vilnius) and Poznań. Son of Stanisław Otrębski and Helena Gasińska. Educated in Kielce, studies at Warsaw (briefly medicine, after few months Slavic, graduated 1913) and Leipzig (Windisch, Leskien and Brugmann). During WW I…
OŠTIR, Karel. Arnače, Velenje 13.10.1888 — Ljubljana 27.12.1973.(Slovenian IE Linguist. Born in a peasant family. After gymnasium in Celje and Maribor he rejected the parental idea of a monastic future and studied from 1909 Linguistics at Graz (Meringer) and Vienna (Kretschmer), 1913-14 in St.Petersburg and London. After military service continued…
OSTHOFF, Caspar Carl Heinrich Gottfried Emil Franz Hermann. Billmerich bei Unna, Westfalen 18.4.1847 — Heidelberg 7.5.1907. German IE Scholar. Professor in Heidelberg. Son of Franz Osthoff, an estate owner, and Lisette Theodore Birnberg. Gymnasium in Gütersloh. Studies of Classics and Sanskrit at Bonn (Gildemeister), then at Tübingen (Roth) and Berlin…
OERTEL, Hanns. Geithain, Sachsen 20.4.1868 — Munich 7.2.1952. German Indologist, for a while in the U.S.A. Professor in New Haven and Munich. Son of Colonel Philipp Julius Oe. (1821–86) and Evelyn Lassnitzer. Gymnasium in Plauen and Meissen. After father’s death in 1886 moved with the family to the U.S.A., where…
NURMEKUND, Pent (until 1936 Arthur Roosman). Kilingi near Pärnu 16.12.1906 — Tartu 26.12.1996. Estonian Linguist, Polyglot and Oriental Scholar, specialized in Chinese and Indian languages and literatures. Born in a poor family as the son of an agrarian worker, Peet Roosman, and Julie Rüütel, he could only proceed slowly with…
NORRIS, Edwin. Taunton, Somerset 24.10.1795 — Brompton, London 10.12.1872. British Oriental and Celtic Scholar. Son of a printer. Educated at the local school by its headmaster, his uncle Henry Norris, himself uncle of —> J. Dowson (1820–1881). Never studied at a university. As young he spent six years in France…