Jacob Wackernagel
Encyclopedia
Jacob Wackernagel was an Indo-Europeanist
and scholar of Sanskrit
. He was born in Basel
, son of the philologist Wilhelm Wackernagel.
He studied classical and Germanic philology and history in
Göttingen
and Leipzig
, and taught at the University of Basel from 1879 onwards as professor of Greek, as the successor of Friedrich Nietzsche
. In 1902 he was called to the University of Göttingen, but as a consequence of World War I
he returned to Basel in 1915. He retired in 1936, and died on 22 May 1938 in Basel.
Wackernagel's major work is the Altindische Grammatik
, a comprehensive grammar of Sanskrit
.
He is best known among modern linguists and philologists for formulating Wackernagel's law, concerning the placement of unstressed words (enclitic sentential particles) in syntactic second position in Indo-European clauses (Wackernagel 1892).
Another law named after him (Wackernagel 1889/1953) is Wackernagel's law of lengthening (Dehnungsgesetz in German), also known as the Law of lengthening in composition (Regelung der Dehnung in der Zusammensetzung): in some compound words in Greek
the first ingredient ends with a vowel and the second ingredient begins with a vowel; when neither vowel is high the first vowel is without effect and the second is replaced by its long counterpart.
Indo-European studies
Indo-European studies is a field of linguistics dealing with Indo-European languages, both current and extinct. Its goal is to amass information about the hypothetical proto-language from which all of these languages are descended, a language dubbed Proto-Indo-European , and its speakers, the...
and scholar 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...
. He was 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...
, son of the philologist Wilhelm Wackernagel.
He studied classical and Germanic philology and history in
Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
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...
, and taught at the University of Basel from 1879 onwards as professor of Greek, as the successor of Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
. In 1902 he was called to the University of Göttingen, but as a consequence of 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...
he returned to Basel in 1915. He retired in 1936, and died on 22 May 1938 in Basel.
Wackernagel's major work is the Altindische Grammatik
Altindische Grammatik
The Altindische Grammatik is the monumental Sanskrit grammar by Jacob Wackernagel , after his death continued by Albert Debrunner, published in Göttingen between 1896 and 1957. The work presents a full discussion of Sanskrit phonology and nominal morphology, but a treatment of the verb is lacking...
, a comprehensive grammar 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...
.
He is best known among modern linguists and philologists for formulating Wackernagel's law, concerning the placement of unstressed words (enclitic sentential particles) in syntactic second position in Indo-European clauses (Wackernagel 1892).
Another law named after him (Wackernagel 1889/1953) is Wackernagel's law of lengthening (Dehnungsgesetz in German), also known as the Law of lengthening in composition (Regelung der Dehnung in der Zusammensetzung): in some compound words in Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
the first ingredient ends with a vowel and the second ingredient begins with a vowel; when neither vowel is high the first vowel is without effect and the second is replaced by its long counterpart.
Translations
- Jacob Wackernagel, Lectures on Syntax: with special reference to Greek, Latin, and Germanic, edited and translated by David Langslow, New York: Oxford University Press, 2009 (original edition: 1920-1924).
External links
- http://www.stadtarchiv.goettingen.de/personen/wackernagel.htm