Victor Friedman
Encyclopedia
Victor A. Friedman is an American
linguist. He is currently Andrew W. Carnegie Professor in the humanities at the University of Chicago
. He holds a joint appointment in linguistics and Slavic languages and literatures with an associated appointment in anthropology
. He has published numerous articles in English
, Macedonian
and Albanian
.
and literature
at Reed College
in 1970. Friedman's PhD was in Slavic languages
and literatures in General linguistics at the University of Chicago
in 1975. His dissertation, "The Grammatical categories of the Macedonian Indicative", was the first publication about the modern Macedonian language
in the USA and won the Mark Perry Galler prize for best dissertation.
From 1975 until 1993 Friedman lectured at the University of North Carolina
. In 1993 he was appointed to a professorship at the University of Chicago. He has held visiting positions at Cornell University
, the University of Skopje, the Central European University
in Budapest
, Kyoto University
, the University of Helsinki
, the University of Pristina, the National University of Malaysia and Latrobe University. His expertise extends over all languages of the Balkans and the Caucasus, including Albanian, Aromanian, Azeri, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Greek, Judezmo, Lak, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Tadjik and Turkish. His research has been multidisciplinary and has involved extensive fieldwork in the Balkans.
In 1994 he served as a senior advisor to the United Nations
regarding policy in the former Yugoslavia
and has since then been involved in other consultative roles in the region.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
linguist. He is currently Andrew W. Carnegie Professor in the humanities at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He holds a joint appointment in linguistics and Slavic languages and literatures with an associated appointment in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. He has published numerous articles in 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...
, Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
and Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
.
Career
Victor A. Friedman received his B.A. in Russian languageRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and literature
Russian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
at Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
in 1970. Friedman's PhD was in Slavic languages
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
and literatures in General linguistics at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1975. His dissertation, "The Grammatical categories of the Macedonian Indicative", was the first publication about the modern Macedonian language
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
in the USA and won the Mark Perry Galler prize for best dissertation.
From 1975 until 1993 Friedman lectured at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
. In 1993 he was appointed to a professorship at the University of Chicago. He has held visiting positions at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, the University of Skopje, the Central European University
Central European University
For other uses, see European University Central European University is a graduate-level, English-language university offering degrees in the social sciences, humanities, law, public policy, business management, environmental science, and mathematics...
in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Kyoto University
Kyoto University
, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
, the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
, the University of Pristina, the National University of Malaysia and Latrobe University. His expertise extends over all languages of the Balkans and the Caucasus, including Albanian, Aromanian, Azeri, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Greek, Judezmo, Lak, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Tadjik and Turkish. His research has been multidisciplinary and has involved extensive fieldwork in the Balkans.
In 1994 he served as a senior advisor to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
regarding policy in the former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
and has since then been involved in other consultative roles in the region.
Awards and honors
- "1300 Years of Bulgaria" jubilee medal (1982)
- University of Skopje Gold Plaque (1981, 2003)
- Member of the Macedonian Academy of Arts and Sciences (1994)
- Member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of KosovoKosovoKosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
(2004)
Selected publications
- "Macedonian" (2002).
- "Turkish in Macedonia and Beyond: Studies in Contact, Typology, and Other Phenomena in the Balkans and the Caucasus" (2003).
- "Studies on Albanian and Other Balkan Languages" (2004).
- "The Balkan Languages" (with Brian Joseph, 2010).
External links
- Friedman's CV and publications on University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
's website