SMITH, Maria Wilkins. Philadelphia, PA 21.6.1884 — 29.12.1973. U.S. Linguist. Daughter of William Horner Smith (1853–1889) and Henrietta Constantia Wilkins (1856–1933). Apparently the same M. W. Smith who studied at Bryn Mawr (1906) and passed Ph.D. 1929 at University of Pennsylvania (under Kent). She was Instructor, then Assistant Professor of Latin…
SMITH, Emil. Kristiania (Oslo) 7.5.1887 — Oslo 16.5.1957. Norwegian Philologist and Linguist. Son of judge Hjalmar Smith and Johanna Ovidia Fredrikke Ellefsen. Grew up in Kristiansund and Kristiania. From 1905 studies, mainly of Greek, in Kristiania and 1910-11 at Berlin. Graduated 1914, from 1915 Docent at Kristiania. Never took Ph.D. Taught…
SEIDEL, August. Helmstedt 29.9.1863 — 1916. German Linguist and Ethnologist. In 1889-1903 General Secretary of Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft in Berlin. Publications: Theoretisch-praktische Grammatik der Hindustani-Grammatik, mit Übungsstücke in arabischer Schrift, und ein deutsch–hindustani Wörterbuch. 194 p. Die Kunst der Polyglottie. Vienna & Pest & Lp. 1893. – Praktisches Handbuch der arabischen Umgangssprache ägyptischen Dialekts.…
SCHUCHARDT, Hugo Ernst Mario. Gotha 4.2.1842 — Graz 21.4.1927. German Linguist in Austria. Professor in Graz. Son of Ernst Julius Schuchardt, a lawyer, and Malvina von Bridel-Brideri. Gymnasium in Gotha. Began his studies 1859 at Jena, soon (1860) switched from law to philology (i.al. Schleicher) and moved to Bonn. Ph.D.…
SCHNEIDER, Karl. Brückrachdorf, Kr. Neuwied 18.4.1912 — Münster 26.12.1998. German Linguist, mainly Anglist and Germanist, but in his early career wrote on IE and Tocharian. Professor in Münster. Studies of English, German, comparative linguistics, and philosophy in 1932-36 at Giessen, Ph.D. 1936 in comparative linguistics. Two years as German Assistant…
SAPIR, Edward (born Eduard Sapir). Lauenburg, Pomerania (now Lębork, Poland) 26.1.1884 — New Haven 4.2.1939. U.S. Linguist and Anthropologist. Born in an unorthodox Lithuanian Jewish family, which emigrated first 1888 to Liverpool and then in 1890 to the U.S.A., son of Jakob David Sapir, a cantor, and Eva Seagal. Grew…
RONA, José Pedro. Lučenec, Slovakia 20.3.1923 — Rio de Janeiro 16.7.1974. Uruguayan IE Scholar. Born of Hungarian parents in present Slovakia, son of engineer Alejandro Róna and pianist Lea Vajda. Migrated to Uruguay in 1940. Studies at University of Montevideo. Ph.D. 1965 University of Porto Alegre, Brazil, in linguistics. Professor…
POLOMÉ, Edgar Ghislain Charles. Molenbeck-Saint-Jean near Brussels 31.7.1920 — Houston 11.3.2000. Belgian Linguist in the U.S.A. Professor in Austin, Texas. Son of a Walloon father (Marcel Félicien Polomé) and Flemish mother (Berthe Henry). Studies at Free University Brussels (B.A. 1940) and after war service at Catholic University Louvain (M.A. 1943), learned Sanskrit…
PETZ, Gideon. Harka, Sopron dt. 24.11.1863 — Budapest 21.12.1943. Hungarian Linguist. Studies at Budapest, Freiburg i. Br., Leipzig and Berlin, 1881-87. Ph.D. Teacher at Lutheran gymnasium in Budapest. At Budapest University: PD 1887, ao. Professor 1896, ord. 1904, of German Philology. Member of Hungarian Academy: correspondent 1895, ord. 1920, honorary 1934.…
PENKA, Karl. Müglitz, Moravia (now Mohelnice, Czech) 26.10.1847 — Vienna 10.2.1912. Austrian Anthropologist, Linguist and Aryan Enthusiast. Educated Vienna, studies of anthropology and comparative linguistics. In 1873-1906 schoolteacher (professor) at Maximiliansgymnasium in Vienna. He connected linguistics with ethnology equating language groups with supposed human races. Propagated a theory of Scandinavian…