Erney Kopitar Slovenian linguist. Country: Slovenia

1. Biography of Jernej Bartol Kopitar
2. Educational Background and Career
3. Contributions and Works
4. Relationship with Vuk Karadžić and Later Years

Biography of Jernej Bartol Kopitar

Jernej Bartol Kopitar was a Slovenian linguist born on August 21, 1780, in Repen. He is known for his significant contributions to the study of Slovenian language and Slavic languages as a whole.

Educational Background and Career

After completing his education at the gymnasium in Ljubljana, Kopitar became a governor in the household of Sigismund Zois. In 1808, he moved to Vienna and began studying law, as well as Slavic languages. He later worked as a librarian in the Vienna Court Library and eventually became its director and censor for publications in New Greek and Slavic languages.

Contributions and Works

In 1808, Kopitar published the first grammar of the Slovenian language titled "Slovnica slovanskega jezika na Kranjskem, Koroškem in Štajerskem" ("Grammar of the Slavic Language in Carniola, Carinthia, and Styria"). He also edited the collection "Glagolita Clozianus" in 1836, which included the so-called "Brižinski (Freising) Fragments," the oldest known text in Slovenian and the first text written in Slavic language using the Latin script, with translations and commentaries.

Kopitar proposed the theory of the Pannonian origin of the Church Slavonic language, although this theory was subsequently rejected by the scientific community. He was also involved in lexicography, alphabet reform, textbook compilation, folklore collection, and educational activities. It was due to his efforts that the Slovenian language department was established at the Ljubljana Lyceum in 1817.

Relationship with Vuk Karadžić and Later Years

Kopitar maintained a friendly relationship with Vuk Karadžić and assisted him in his work on creating the literary Serbo-Croatian language, despite refusing to allow Karadžić's book on the defeat of the First Serbian Uprising to be published during his time as a censor at the Vienna Library. Additionally, Kopitar was the first to note the similarities between unrelated Balkan languages.

Starting from 1830, Kopitar's influence in the scientific community declined after a falling out with Jernej Čop and Matija Čop. His ideas were later developed by Franz Metelko and Franz Miklošič.