Marcel Cohen
Encyclopedia
Marcel Samuel Raphaël Cohen (February 6, 1884 – November 5, 1974) was a French
linguist. He was an important scholar of Semitic languages
and especially of Ethiopian languages. He studied the French language
and contributed much to general linguistics.
. He studied at the Lycée Condorcet
. He attended Antoine Meillet
's lectures at the Collège de France
and the École pratique des hautes études
. In 1905 he registered at the École des langues orientales
and graduated in 1909. He Studied Amharic
(under Mondon-Vidailhet), French
linguistics, Sanskrit
, Ge'ez
and South Arabian
. He wrote his thesis on the Arabic
dialect
of the Jews of Algeria (Le parler arabe des juifs d'Alger).
Between March 1910 and June 1911, he undertook a journey to Ethiopia
in which he collected much material on Ethiopian languages.
He succeeded Mondon-Vidailhet, who had just died, as chargé de cours d'Abyssin at the École des langues orientales.
In 1916 he became Assistant Professor and in 1926 a full Professor. In 1919 he also became professor of Ethiopic at the École pratique des hautes études.
He had several students who became distinguished éthiopisants, such as: Wolf Leslau
, Stefan Strelcyn
and Joseph Tubiana.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
linguist. He was an important scholar of Semitic languages
Semitic languages
The Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa...
and especially of Ethiopian languages. He studied the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and contributed much to general linguistics.
Life
Marcel Cohen was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He studied at the Lycée Condorcet
Lycée Condorcet
The Lycée Condorcet is a school founded in 1803 in Paris, France, located at 8, rue du Havre, in the city's IXe arrondissement. Since its inception, various political eras have seen it given a number of different names, but its identity today honors the memory of the Marquis de Condorcet. The...
. He attended Antoine Meillet
Antoine Meillet
Paul Jules Antoine Meillet was one of the most important French linguists of the early 20th century. Meillet began his studies at the Sorbonne, where he was influenced by Michel Bréal, Ferdinand de Saussure, and the members of the Année Sociologique. In 1890 he was part of a research trip to the...
's lectures at the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
and the École pratique des hautes études
École pratique des hautes études
The École pratique des hautes études is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions....
. In 1905 he registered at the École des langues orientales
Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
The Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales is located in Paris, France. It was founded in 1795 after the French Revolution and is now one of the country's Grands établissements with a specialization in African, Asian, East European, Oceanian languages and civilisations...
and graduated in 1909. He Studied Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
(under Mondon-Vidailhet), French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
linguistics, 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...
, Ge'ez
Ge'ez language
Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
and South Arabian
Old South Arabian
Old South Arabian is the term used to describe four extinct, closely related languages spoken in the far southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. There were a number of other Sayhadic languages , of which very little evidence survived, however...
. He wrote his thesis on the 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...
dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of the Jews of Algeria (Le parler arabe des juifs d'Alger).
Between March 1910 and June 1911, he undertook a journey to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
in which he collected much material on Ethiopian languages.
He succeeded Mondon-Vidailhet, who had just died, as chargé de cours d'Abyssin at the École des langues orientales.
In 1916 he became Assistant Professor and in 1926 a full Professor. In 1919 he also became professor of Ethiopic at the École pratique des hautes études.
He had several students who became distinguished éthiopisants, such as: Wolf Leslau
Wolf Leslau
Wolf Leslau ]] November 18, 2006) was a scholar of Semitic languages and one of the foremost authorities on Semitic languages of Ethiopia.-Youth and Education:Leslau was born in Krzepice, a small town near Częstochowa, Poland...
, Stefan Strelcyn
Stefan Strelcyn
Stefan Strelcyn was a Polish scholar of Ethiopian Studies and a Semitist.- Life :Stefan Strelcyn was born at Warsaw on 1918. At Warsaw, he attended the Gimnazjum Ascola and the Technical Engineering School. In 1938 he left Poland and went to Belgium where he devoted himself to oriental...
and Joseph Tubiana.
Works
- 1912: Le parler arabe des Juifs d'Alger. Paris: Champion.
- 1912: Rapport sur une mission linguistique en Abyssinie (1910-1911). Paris: Imprimerie Nationale.
- 1920: Documents ethnographiques d'Abyssinie. Paris: Leroux.
- 1921: "La prononciation traditionelle du Guèze (éthiopien classique)", in: Journal asiatique Sér. 11 / T. 18 (electronic version in Gallica digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de FranceBibliothèque nationale de FranceThe is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
PDF). - 1924: Couplets amhariques du Choa. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale.
- 1924: Le système verbal sémitique et l'expression du temps. Paris: Leroux.
- 1924: (with Antoine MeilletAntoine MeilletPaul Jules Antoine Meillet was one of the most important French linguists of the early 20th century. Meillet began his studies at the Sorbonne, where he was influenced by Michel Bréal, Ferdinand de Saussure, and the members of the Année Sociologique. In 1890 he was part of a research trip to the...
) Les langues du monde. Paris: Champion. (2nd ed. 1952) - 1931: Etudes d'éthiopien méridional. Paris: Geuthner.
- 1934: Documents sudarabiques. Paris: dépôt chez Adrien Maisonneuve.
- 1936: Traité de langue amharique. Paris: Institut d'Ethnographie. (reprinted: 1970, 1995 ISBN 2852650169)
- 1939: Nouvelles études d'éthiopien meridional. Paris: Champion.
- 1947: Essai comparatif sur le vocabulaire et la phonétique chamito-sémitique. Paris: Champion.
- 1947: Histoire d'une langue: le français. Paris: Editions Réunis. (4th ed., Editions Sociales 1974)
- 1950: Regards sur la langue française. Paris: Editions Sociales.
- 1950: Le langage: structure et évolution. Paris: Editions Sociales.
- 1954: Grammaire et style.
- 1958: La grande invention de l'écriture et son évolution. Paris: Klincksieck.
- 1962: Etudes sur le langage de l'enfant. Paris: Editions du Scarabée.
- 1963: Nouveaux regards sur la langue française.
- 1963: Encore des regards sur la langue française.
- 1972: Une fois de plus des regards sur la langue française. Paris: Editions Sociales.