BESKROVNYJ, Vasilij Matveevič. Šejkovka (Šijkivka), Harkovskaja obl., Ukraine 24.5. (6.6.)1908 — Moscow 1.4.1978. Russian (Ukrainian?) Indologist, specialist in Hindi/Urdu. From 1926 studies at Leningrad Oriental Institute: graduated 1930, Kand. filol. nauk 1943. Naučnyj sotrudnik at Oriental Institute, Academy of Science, Leningrad from 1932, staršij naučnyj sotrudnik. 1943. In 1936-38 taught…
BERNHARD, Franz. Schweidnitz in Silesia (now Świdnica in Poland) 31.5.1931 — Mustang/Nepal 5.9. 1971. German Indologist. Professor in Hamburg. Son of a butcher from Silesia. Studiedin 1952-60 at Göttingen classical philology, Indology (under W. Thomas and Waldschmidt), IE, and even Finno-Ugric philology. Ph.D. 1958 Göttingen. In 1956-60 worked at Tübingen…
BERGMANN, Frédéric-Guillaume (Friedrich Wilhelm). Strasbourg 9.2.1812 — Strasbourg 13.11.1887. French (Alsatian) Linguist and Philologist. Professor in Strasbourg. Son of Anton Josef Bergmann (1776–1839), a pewter caster, and Christiane Sophie Roessel. Studies of theology at Strasbourg, of philology (especially Nordic) at Paris, Göttingen and Berlin. Dr.-ès-Lettres 1839. From 1838 in charge…
BENVENISTE, Émile (born Ezra B.). Aleppo, Syria 25.2. or 27.4.1902 — Versailles 3.10.1976. French Iranian scholar and Linguist. Professor in Paris, naturalized as Frenchman in 1924. Son of Mathieu (Mathatias) Benveniste, of a well known Sephardim family of Turkey (originally of Spain), and Marie Malkenson, both teachers. Educated privately, in…
BENFEY, Theodor. Nörten bei Göttingen 28.1.1809 — Göttingen 26.6.1881. German Indologist and IE Scholar. Professor in Göttingen. Born in a Jewish family, son of Isaak Benfey (1763–1832), a merchant and Talmud scholar, who also taught Hebrew to his son, and Caroline Salomon (1774–1838). School and from 1824 studies in Göttingen…
BENDER, Ernest. Buenos Aires 2.1.1919 — Philadelphia 18.4.1996. U.S. Indologist. Professor in Philadelphia. Born in Argentina as U.S. citizen, came to Philadelphia in the age of four. Educated there, began studies of classics at Temple University (A.B. 1941). From 1941 PG studies at University of Pennsylvania in Indology (W. N.…
BENARY, Karl Albert Agathon. Kassel 17.1.1807 — Berlin 6.12.1860. German Classical and IE scholar. Teacher in Berlin. Born in Kassel as a son of the Jewish banker Salmon Levy (1770–1828; from 1818 Benary) and Gutheil Meilert (1778–1833), brother of —> Ferdinand Benary (1805–1880). After school in Göttingen and Erfurt he…
BEAMES, John William. Greenwich 21.6.1837 — Clevedon, Somerset 24.5.1902. British Civil servant and Indologist in India, a Pioneer of Comparative NIA Studies. Served in India in 1858-93. The eldest son of the Rev. Thomas Beames (1815–1864) and Susanna Amelia Dewsnap (1811–1868). Educated first at Merchant Taylor’s School, then 1856-57 at…
BAUNACK, Johannes Fürchtegott. Trebsen bei Grimma (east of Leipzig) 22.12.1854 — 1928. German Philologist. Son of school inspector Gottlob Franz Baunack, brother of —> Theodor Baunack (1861–1932). Attended Leipzig. Gymnasium 1866-74, then studied classical philology, IE linguistics and Indo-Iranian languages at Leipzig University under i.al. Curtius, Zarncke, Brockhaus and Kuhn.…
BAUDOUIN DE COURTENAY, Jan Ignacy Niecisław (Jean, in Russian Ivan Aleksandrovič Boduèn-de-Kurtenè). Radzymin near Warsaw 13.3.1845 — Warsaw 3.11.1929. Famous Polish Linguist. Son of Alexander Baudouin de C. and Jadwiga Dobrzyńska, the family came from France in 1733. Gymnasium in Warsaw (under Leskien). Studies at Jena under Schleicher, then at…