Andrzej Gawronski
Encyclopedia
Andrzej Gawroński was a Polish Indologist, linguist
and polyglot
. Professor of Jagiellonian University
and Lviv University
, (starting in 1916), the author of the first Polish handbook of Sanskrit
(Podręcznik sanskrytu, 1932), founder of Polish Oriental Society
(1922).
. Attended elementary school in Lviv
and secondary schools in Przemyśl
and Lviv. He graduated in Linguistics
from the University of Lviv and University of Leipzig
(1902–1906). Suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis
, which was the cause of his death at the age of 42.
and became assistant professor in the Department of Indo-European Linguistics at the Jagiellonian University
. In 1912 he completed his Habilitationschrift Am Rande des Mr.cchakat.ika and was promoted to the rank of associate professor. In the years 1916-1917 he took the chair in the Department of Sanskrit Philology at the Jagiellonian University
. From 1917 full professor and Head of the Department of Contrastive Linguistics
at the University of Lviv. He gave lectures on the history and language of Sanskrit drama
, contrastive grammar of Indo-European languages
and Old-Indian philology.
(1922 a member and founder, 1922-23 chairman). In 1925 he was decorated with the Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta
) (Commander). Also, he initiated the activity of the “Eastern Library” at the Ossolinski National Institute
in Lviv and the “Annual of Oriental Studies” and the Institute of Oriental Studies at the University of Lviv.
Gawroński's Polish handbook of Sanskrit (Podręcznik Sanskrytu, Kraków 1932, reissued Lublin 1978, 1985, Warszawa 2004) has remained the fundamental academic textbook of Sanskrit in Poland.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and polyglot
Polyglot (person)
A polyglot is someone with a high degree of proficiency in several languages. A bilingual person can speak two languages fluently, whereas a trilingual three; above that the term multilingual may be used.-Hyperpolyglot:...
. Professor of Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
and Lviv University
Lviv University
The Lviv University or officially the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine...
, (starting in 1916), the author of the first Polish handbook of Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
(Podręcznik sanskrytu, 1932), founder of Polish Oriental Society
Polish Oriental Society
Polish Oriental Society a society of Polish orientalists. Founded in 1922. Currently 131 members. Its statutory aims are: to contribute to the development of oriental studies in Poland through research and support of research on peoples of Asia and Africa. President: Marek Mejor.Address: 00-927...
(1922).
Life
Son of Franciszek Rawita-Gawroński (a historian, writer and a columnist of the nationalistic press) and Antonina Miłkowska (a teacher and a translator), grandson of Teodor Tomasz JeżZygmunt Miłkowski
Zygmunt Miłkowski, pseudonym Teodor Tomasz Jeż was Polish romantic writer and politician who struggled for independence of Poland as leader of Polish Union...
. Attended elementary school in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
and secondary schools in Przemyśl
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
and Lviv. He graduated in Linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
from the University of Lviv and University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
(1902–1906). Suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, which was the cause of his death at the age of 42.
Education
In 1906, Gawroński defended his doctoral thesis, Sprachliche Untersuchungen ueber das Mr. cchakat.ika und das Daśakumāracarita, at the University of LeipzigUniversity of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
and became assistant professor in the Department of Indo-European Linguistics at the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
. In 1912 he completed his Habilitationschrift Am Rande des Mr.cchakat.ika and was promoted to the rank of associate professor. In the years 1916-1917 he took the chair in the Department of Sanskrit Philology at the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
. From 1917 full professor and Head of the Department of Contrastive Linguistics
Contrastive linguistics
Contrastive linguistics is a practice-oriented linguistic approach that seeks to describe the differences and similarities between a pair of languages .-History:...
at the University of Lviv. He gave lectures on the history and language of Sanskrit drama
Sanskrit drama
The earliest-surviving fragments of Sanskrit drama date from the 1st century CE. The Mahābhāṣya by Patañjali contains the earliest reference to what may have been the seeds of Sanskrit drama. This treatise on grammar from 140 BCE provides a feasible date for the beginnings of theatre in India.Its...
, contrastive grammar of Indo-European languages
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
and Old-Indian philology.
Languages
Gawroński was one of the greatest Polish polyglots. He certainly knew 60 foreign languages, but his contemporaries, friends and scientists, claimed he knew many more. Once, being persistently pestered to reveal the truth, Gawroński replied: "I can speak and write in 40 languages and understand and read in about 100." This means that he could have known 140 languages (or 100, depending on whether 100, meant another 100, or not), among which there were many African, Asian, European, modern and extinct ones. In the library left after his death there were books in dozens of languages. In the vast majority of them there were his notes in the margins, always in the language the book was written in.Honors
Gawroński was a member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (1921 a member-columnist, 1926 an active member), as well as the Scientific Society in Lviv (1920, an active member), the Society of Friends of Polish Language (1920), Polish Oriental SocietyPolish Oriental Society
Polish Oriental Society a society of Polish orientalists. Founded in 1922. Currently 131 members. Its statutory aims are: to contribute to the development of oriental studies in Poland through research and support of research on peoples of Asia and Africa. President: Marek Mejor.Address: 00-927...
(1922 a member and founder, 1922-23 chairman). In 1925 he was decorated with the Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta
Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
) (Commander). Also, he initiated the activity of the “Eastern Library” at the Ossolinski National Institute
Ossolineum
The Ossolineum or Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich a meritorious department for Polish science and culture , which was founded for the Polish Nation in 1817 by Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński, and was opened in 1827 in Lviv.It was one of the most important Polish...
in Lviv and the “Annual of Oriental Studies” and the Institute of Oriental Studies at the University of Lviv.
Publications
Gawroński is the author of numerous publications. Here are some of them:- in Polish:
- O błędach językowych (Warszawa 1921)
- O podstawie psychologicznej zapożyczania wyrazów obcych (Kraków 1921)
- Szkice językoznawcze (Warszawa 1928)
- Wartość uczuciowa deminutiwów (Kraków 1928)
- Początki dramatu indyjskiego a sprawa wpływów greckich (Kraków 1946)
- in other languages:
- Sprachliche Untersuchungen über das Mr.cchakat.ika und das Daśakumāracarita (Leipzig 1907)
- Am Rande des Mr.cchakat.ika (ZDMG 65/1911)
- The Date of Allahabad Stone Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta (Leipzig 1914)
- Gleanings from Aśvaghoşa's Buddhacarita (Rocznik Orjentalistyczny 1915)
- The Digvijaya of Raghu and some Connected Problems (Rocznik Orjentalistyczny 1915)
- Studies about Sanskrit Buddhist Literature (Kraków 1919)
- Notes sur les sources de quelques drames indiens (Kraków 1921)
- Notes on the Sāundarananda. Critical and Explanatory (Kraków 1922)
- Beginnings of Indian Drama and Problem of Greek Influence (Bhāratī 13/1968)
Gawroński's Polish handbook of Sanskrit (Podręcznik Sanskrytu, Kraków 1932, reissued Lublin 1978, 1985, Warszawa 2004) has remained the fundamental academic textbook of Sanskrit in Poland.
Sources and references
- Andrzej GawroÅski (jÄzykoznawca) - Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia at pl.wikipedia.org
- Biogramy uczonych polskich, Część I: Nauki społeczne, zeszyt 1: A-J, Wrocław 1983 (Short biographies of Polish scientists Part I. - in Polish)
- Powszechna Encyklopedia Filozofii, t. 3, Lublin 2002.
- Extensive memoires of his sister, Zofia Kozarynowa, in: Znak 34 1982: 579-604
- Fedirko, Janusz. 2008. Fenomenalny Multilingwista Profesor Andrzej Gawroński (1885–1927). Alma Mater nr 2 (100), miesięcznik Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego http://www3.uj.edu.pl/alma/alma/100/16.pdf