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Jacob WackernagelSwiss linguist
Date of Birth: 11.12.1853
Country:  Switzerland |
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Jakob Wackernagel
Jakob Wackernagel (1853-1938) was a renowned Swiss linguist known for his groundbreaking contributions to Sanskrit and Indo-European studies.
Early Life and Education
Born into a scholarly family in Basel, Switzerland, Wackernagel pursued classical philology, German studies, and history at the universities of Göttingen and Leipzig. In 1875, he obtained his doctorate from the University of Basel and became a Privatdozent (unsalaried lecturer) the following year.
Academic Career
Wackernagel's academic career was centered around the University of Basel. He initially taught Greek, succeeding Friedrich Nietzsche as professor in 1879. In 1902, he was invited to the University of Göttingen, but due to the outbreak of World War I, he returned to Basel in 1915, where he retired in 1936.
Major Works
Wackernagel's most significant contribution to linguistics is his comprehensive "Altindische Grammatik," a monumental grammar of the Sanskrit language. This work provides a detailed analysis of Sanskrit morphology, syntax, and phonology.
Wackernagel's Law
Wackernagel is also renowned for his discovery of the "Wackernagel's Law," which describes a pattern of accentuation in Indo-European languages. This law states that in certain morphological constructions, the accent tends to be retracted to the preceding syllable.
Legacy
Jakob Wackernagel was a highly respected scholar whose work revolutionized the study of Sanskrit and Indo-European languages. His "Altindische Grammatik" remains an indispensable reference for scholars to this day, and Wackernagel's Law is a fundamental principle in Indo-European linguistics.
