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Louis HjelmslevDanish linguist, founder of glossematics
Date of Birth: 03.10.1899
Country:  Denmark |
Biography of Louis Hjelmslev
Louis Hjelmslev (1899–1965) was a Danish linguist and the founder of glossematics. He was born on October 3, 1899 in Copenhagen. Hjelmslev completed his studies at the University of Copenhagen in 1923, where he was taught by the renowned Indo-Europeanist and historian of linguistics, Holger Pedersen (1867–1953). He also studied in Prague and Paris, where he was greatly influenced by Franco-Swiss linguistics.
In the 1930s, Hjelmslev transitioned from being an Indo-Europeanist and follower of Neogrammarianism to adopting a consistently structural perspective. In 1931, he co-founded the Copenhagen Linguistic Circle with Viggo Brøndal (1887–1942), and from 1939, the works of this circle were published. Hjelmslev became a professor at the University of Copenhagen in 1937, succeeding Pedersen as the head of the Comparative Linguistics department.
Hjelmslev passed away in Copenhagen on May 30, 1965. His main theoretical work, "Prolegomena to a Theory of Language," was first published in 1943 and gained worldwide recognition. An English version of this work was released in 1953. In the 1930s, Hjelmslev wrote two significant works: "The Category of Case" (La catégorie de las cas, 1935–1937), a two-volume study, and "The Concept of Government," in which he expressed his general theoretical ideas with consideration for specific linguistic material.
Hjelmslev's abstract "algebraic" theory of language was fully formulated in his major theoretical work, "Foundations of Linguistic Theory" (Omkring sprogteoriens grundlæggelse), first published in 1943. A revised version of this work, titled "Prolegomena to a Theory of Language," was published in English in 1953 and gained international recognition. His book "Language" (Sproget), written during the same period, was only published in 1963.
In 1959, Hjelmslev's articles were collected and published as the 12th volume titled "Linguistic Essays," and the second volume of his linguistic essays was released in 1973 as the 14th volume of the "Works."
