Rudolf Thurneysen
Encyclopedia
Eduard Rudolf Thurneysen (March 14, 1857–9 August 1940) was a Swiss
linguist
and Celticist
.
Born in Basel
, Thurneysen studied classical philology
in Basel, Leipzig
, Berlin
and Paris
. His teachers included Ernst Windisch
and Heinrich Zimmer
. He received his promotion (approximating to a doctorate) in 1879, and his habilitation
, in Latin
and Celtic languages
, followed at the University of Jena in 1882.
From 1885 to 1887 he taught Latin at Jena, then taking up the Chair of Comparative Philology at the University of Freiburg-im-Breisgau where he replaced Karl Brugmann
, a renowned expert in Indo-European linguistics.
In 1909 Thurneysen published his Handbuch des Alt-Irischen, translated into English
as A Grammar of Old Irish by D. A. Binchy
and Osborn Bergin
, and still in print as of 2006. In 1913 he moved to Bonn University. It is in this period that Thurneysen has been called the greatest living authority on Old Irish.
He retired in 1923 and died in Bonn
in 1940. The Rudolf Thurneysen Memorial Lecture , given at Bonn, is named in his honour.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
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....
and Celticist
Celtic Studies
Celtic studies is the academic discipline occupied with the study of any sort of cultural output relating to a Celtic people. This ranges from linguistics, literature and art history archaeology and history, the focus lying on the study of the various Celtic languages, living and extinct...
.
Born in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Thurneysen studied classical philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
in Basel, Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Paris
Paris
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...
. His teachers included Ernst Windisch
Ernst Windisch
Ernst Wilhelm Oskar Windisch was a German scholar and celticist.He is known as an Indo-Europeanist. He was also a friend of the young Friedrich Nietzsche.-Works:...
and Heinrich Zimmer
Heinrich Zimmer (Celticist)
Heinrich Friedrich Zimmer was a German Celticist and Indologist.Born to a farming family in Kastellaun in the Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany, he studied ancient languages at Kaiser Wilhelm University in Strassburg, going on to study Indology and Sanskrit under Rudolf von Roth at the...
. He received his promotion (approximating to a doctorate) in 1879, and his habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
, in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Celtic languages
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
, followed at the University of Jena in 1882.
From 1885 to 1887 he taught Latin at Jena, then taking up the Chair of Comparative Philology at the University of Freiburg-im-Breisgau where he replaced Karl Brugmann
Karl Brugmann
Karl Brugmann was a German linguist. He is a towering figure in Indo-European linguistics.-Biography:He was educated at Halle and Leipzig. He was instructor in the gymnasium at Wiesbaden and at Leipzig, and in 1872-77 was assistant at the Russian Institute of Classical Philology at the latter place...
, a renowned expert in Indo-European linguistics.
In 1909 Thurneysen published his Handbuch des Alt-Irischen, translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as A Grammar of Old Irish by D. A. Binchy
D. A. Binchy
Daniel Anthony Binchy was a scholar of Irish linguistics and Early Irish law.From 1919-20 he was Auditor of the Literary and Historical Society...
and Osborn Bergin
Osborn Bergin
Osborn Joseph Bergin was a scholar of the Irish language and Early Irish literature. He was born in Cork and was educated at Queen's College Cork , then went to Germany for advanced studies in Celtic languages, working with Heinrich Zimmer at the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin...
, and still in print as of 2006. In 1913 he moved to Bonn University. It is in this period that Thurneysen has been called the greatest living authority on Old Irish.
He retired in 1923 and died in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
in 1940. The Rudolf Thurneysen Memorial Lecture , given at Bonn, is named in his honour.
Select bibliography
- A grammar of Old Irish (translated by D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin), Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, reprinted 2003. ISBN 1-85500-161-6
- Old Irish reader (translated by D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin), Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, reprinted 1981. ISBN 0-901282-32-4
- Scéla mucce Meic Dathó, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, reprinted 2004. ISBN 1-85500-022-9
External links
- Thurneysen-Archiv der Keltologie Bonn
- Works by Thurneysen online at University College Cork's CELT project
- Select bibliography at University College Cork's CELT project TITUS-Galeria: Pictures of Rudolf Thurneysen