George T. Flom
Encyclopedia
George T. Flom was an American
professor of linguistics
and author of numerous reference books.
, Dane County
, Wisconsin
. His grandfather had immigrated to the U.S. from Aurland
in Sogn og Fjordane
in Norway
during the beginning of the 1840s. Flom studied at the University of Wisconsin in Madison
from 1889 to 1993, took the MA degree at Vanderbilt University
in Nashville, Tennessee
in 1894 and had studied in Copenhagen
and Leipzig
, 1898-99. He received his Ph.D. degree from Columbia University
in 1900 for a thesis on the Nordic influence on Scottish dialect
s.
(1900–1909) and at the University of Illinois (1909–1927). In 1911 he was an organizer of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
and served as editor of that society’s journal. He was also an associate editor of the Journal of English and Germanic Philology
. He was a linguist and a member of the American Philological Society. In 1936, he was the president of the Linguistic Society of America
. His areas of expertise included Scandinavian paleography and philology
, Norse literature and comparative linguistics
relating to English, German and the Scandinavian languages.
As an author, articles by Flom frequently appears in the literary magazine Symra
. Flom was the author of A History of Norwegian Immigration to the United States: From the Earliest Beginning Down to the Year 1848. In this 1909 study, Dr. Flom laid out the establishment of early Norwegian immigrant settlement in North America starts with the settlement of Orange County, New York
by Norwegian
immigrants, known as "Sloopers." The study follows the journey of Norwegian immigrants as they settled in communities principally located in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Flom was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
, and he was knighted by 1 Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1939. George T. Flom Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
contains the former personal library of Dr. Flom. It consisted largely of collections of Danish, Swedish, Old Norse, Icelandic, Faroese, and Norwegian language, literature, and culture.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professor of 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....
and author of numerous reference books.
Background
George Tobias Flom was born in UticaUtica, Wisconsin
Utica is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Wisconsin:*Utica, Crawford County, Wisconsin, a town*Utica, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, a town*Utica, Dane County, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community...
, Dane County
Dane County, Wisconsin
As of the census of 2000, there were 426,526 people, 173,484 households, and 100,794 families residing in the county. The population density was 355 people per square mile . There were 180,398 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. His grandfather had immigrated to the U.S. from Aurland
Aurland
Aurland is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Aurlandsvangen. Other villages include Bakka, Flåm, Undredal, and Gudvangen....
in Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
during the beginning of the 1840s. Flom studied at the University of Wisconsin in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
from 1889 to 1993, took the MA degree at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
in 1894 and had studied in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and 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...
, 1898-99. He received his Ph.D. degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1900 for a thesis on the Nordic influence on Scottish 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,...
s.
Career
Dr. Flom was a professor of Scandinavian languages and literature at the University of IowaUniversity of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
(1900–1909) and at the University of Illinois (1909–1927). In 1911 he was an organizer of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study is a non-profit membership society with 400 members aiming to advance the study, teaching and research in America of the languages, literature, history, culture and society of the Scandinavian or Nordic countries and to foster closer relationships...
and served as editor of that society’s journal. He was also an associate editor of the Journal of English and Germanic Philology
Journal of English and Germanic Philology
The Journal of English and Germanic Philology is an academic journal of medieval studies founded in 1897 and now published by University of Illinois Press. Its focus is on the cultures of English, Germanic, and Celtic-speaking parts of medieval northern Europe. Previous editors include Albert S....
. He was a linguist and a member of the American Philological Society. In 1936, he was the president of the Linguistic Society of America
Linguistic Society of America
The Linguistic Society of America is a professional society for linguists. It was founded in 1924 to advance linguistics, the scientific study of human language. The LSA has over 5,000 individual members and welcomes linguists of all kinds. It works to advance the discipline and to communicate...
. His areas of expertise included Scandinavian paleography and 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...
, Norse literature and comparative linguistics
Comparative linguistics
Comparative linguistics is a branch of historical linguistics that is concerned with comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness....
relating to English, German and the Scandinavian languages.
As an author, articles by Flom frequently appears in the literary magazine Symra
Symra
Symra was a Norwegian language periodical published between in 1905 and 1914.Symra; En Aarbog for Norske Paa Begge Sider Af Havet was established to publish the literary works of Norwegian American authors, writers and poets. Johannes B...
. Flom was the author of A History of Norwegian Immigration to the United States: From the Earliest Beginning Down to the Year 1848. In this 1909 study, Dr. Flom laid out the establishment of early Norwegian immigrant settlement in North America starts with the settlement of Orange County, New York
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
by Norwegian
Norwegians
Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...
immigrants, known as "Sloopers." The study follows the journey of Norwegian immigrants as they settled in communities principally located in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Flom was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
, and he was knighted by 1 Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1939. George T. Flom Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
contains the former personal library of Dr. Flom. It consisted largely of collections of Danish, Swedish, Old Norse, Icelandic, Faroese, and Norwegian language, literature, and culture.
Selected bibliography
- Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch (1900)
- Chapters on Scandinavian immigration to Iowa (1906)
- A History of the Scandinavian Studies in American Universities, together with a bibliography (1907)
- A History of Norwegian Immigration to the United States: From the Earliest Beginning Down to the Year 1848 (1909)
- The Kensington Rune-Stone: An address (1910)
- The Phonology of the Dialect of Aurland, Norway (1915)
- The Language of the Konungs Skuggsja (Speculum Regale) (1923)
- Introductory Old English Grammar and Reader (1930)
- Journal of English and Germanic Philology (1930)
- Old Norwegian General Law of the Gulathing : According to Codex Gl.k.S. 1154 Folio (1937)
- The Morphology of the Dialect on Aurland in Sogn, Norway (1944)
- Bjornson's Synnove Solbakken (1944)