Gotthelf Bergsträsser
Encyclopedia
Gotthelf Bergsträsser was a German
linguist
specializing in Semitic studies, usually considered to be one of the greatest of the twentieth century. Bergsträsser was first a teacher of Classical languages and then decided to learn the Semitic languages.
He was a professor at the University of Constantinople
during World War I
, when he was an officer in the German army stationed in Turkey
. When he was there, he studied the spoken dialects of Arabic
and Aramaic
in Syria and Palestine. One of his most well known works is the 29th (and final) edition of Wilhelm Gesenius
' Hebrew Grammar (1918–1929), which remained incomplete, containing only phonology and morphology of the verb. Also widely admired was his Introduction to the Semitic Languages (1928, English translation 1983). These brought him international fame as a scholar. His last position was professor of the Semitic languages at the University of Munich.
Bergsträsser mostly engaged in the study of Arabic, focusing on the history of the text of the Qur'an
. Bergsträsser left many of his planned works unfinished (including the rest of his Hebrew grammar and his grammar of spoken Aramaic), when he disappeared while mountaineering in 1933.
Bergsträsser was an outspoken anti-Nazi, and helped to save German Jewish scholars.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
linguist
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....
specializing in Semitic studies, usually considered to be one of the greatest of the twentieth century. Bergsträsser was first a teacher of Classical languages and then decided to learn the Semitic languages.
He was a professor at the University of Constantinople
University of Constantinople
The University of Constantinople, sometimes known as the University of the palace hall of Magnaura in the Roman-Byzantine Empire was founded in 425 under the name of Pandidakterion...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when he was an officer in the German army stationed in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. When he was there, he studied the spoken dialects of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
in Syria and Palestine. One of his most well known works is the 29th (and final) edition of Wilhelm Gesenius
Wilhelm Gesenius
Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius was a German orientalist and Biblical critic.-Biography:He was born at Nordhausen...
' Hebrew Grammar (1918–1929), which remained incomplete, containing only phonology and morphology of the verb. Also widely admired was his Introduction to the Semitic Languages (1928, English translation 1983). These brought him international fame as a scholar. His last position was professor of the Semitic languages at the University of Munich.
Bergsträsser mostly engaged in the study of Arabic, focusing on the history of the text of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
. Bergsträsser left many of his planned works unfinished (including the rest of his Hebrew grammar and his grammar of spoken Aramaic), when he disappeared while mountaineering in 1933.
Bergsträsser was an outspoken anti-Nazi, and helped to save German Jewish scholars.