Meillet, Antoine

Meillet, Antoine
born Nov. 11, 1866, Moulins, France
died Sept. 21, 1936, Châteaumeillant

French linguist.

He argued that any attempt to account for linguistic change must recognize that language is a social phenomenon. His Introduction to the Comparative Study of the Indo-European Languages (1903) explained the relationships of the Indo-European languages to each other and to their parent tongue. Meillet suggested that languages that develop farther from a centre of common origin are less disturbed by changes at the point of origin and more likely to retain archaic characteristics. He produced authoritative grammars of classical Armenian and Old Iranian and made notable contributions to Slavic studies.

* * *

▪ French linguist
born Nov. 11, 1866, Moulins, Fr.
died Sept. 21, 1936, Châteaumeillant

      one of the most influential linguists of his time. Using a comparative method of utmost precision, he clearly explained the early Indo-European linguistic system and traced its history. He steadily emphasized that any attempt to account for linguistic change must recognize that language is a social phenomenon. He also explored the psychological factors in sound changes.

      In 1891 Meillet became director of comparative Indo-European studies at the School of Advanced Studies in Paris and taught Armenian from 1902 until 1906, when he was appointed a professor at the Collège de France. In 1903 he published what is generally considered his most important work, Introduction à l'étude comparative des langues indo-européennes (“Introduction to the Comparative Study of the Indo-European Languages”), which explained the relationships of the languages to one another and to the parent Indo-European tongue. Advancing a theory of linguistic differentiation, he suggested that languages that developed farther away from a centre of common origin are less disturbed by changes initiated at the point of origin and may retain archaic characteristics in common. Around the early 1900s he produced his authoritative Esquisse de la grammaire comparée de l'arménien classique (1902; “Outline of a Comparative Grammar of Classical Armenian”) and also made the first of his notable contributions to Slavic studies. Part of his prodigious effort went into studies of the Germanic, Baltic, and Celtic languages; he made fundamental contributions to Old Iranian, notably with a grammar (1915), and produced two outstanding works (1913 and 1928) on the historical contexts and significance of Greek and Latin. In a number of articles he related sociological factors to changes in word meanings and other linguistic phenomena.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Meillet, Antoine — ► (1866 1936) Lingüista francés. A partir de unos primeros estudios dedicados a las lenguas eslavas pasó a dedicar se a la lingüística indoeuropea en general. Obras: Compendio de historia de la lengua griega (1913) y Caracteres generales de las… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Meillet,Antoine — Meil·let (mā yāʹ), Antoine. 1866 1936. French linguist and Indo Europeanist. He was the author of over two dozen books and reference works that are still widely consulted, including The Comparative Method in Historical Linguistics (1925). * * * …   Universalium

  • Meillet — Meillet, Antoine …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • MEILLET (A.) — MEILLET ANTOINE (1866 1936) Linguiste français. Antoine Meillet étudie le sanskrit, les langues romanes, les langues slaves, l’irlandais, l’iranien, l’arménien (qu’il enseignera aux Langues orientales de 1902 à 1906). Après avoir suivi les cours… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Antoine Meillet — Paul Jules Antoine Meillet (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃twan mɛjɛ]; November 11, 1866, Moulins, Allier September 21, 1936, Châteaumeillant) was one of the most important French linguists of the early 20th century. Meillet began his studies at… …   Wikipedia

  • Antoine Meillet — Paul Jules Antoine Meillet, né le 11 novembre 1866 à Moulins (Allier) et mort le 21 septembre 1936 à Châteaumeillant (Cher), est le principal linguiste français des premières décennies du XXe siècle. Sommaire 1 Biographie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Meillet — Paul Jules Antoine Meillet (* 11. November 1866 in Moulins, Département Allier; † 21. September 1936 in Châteaumeillant, Département Cher) gilt als einer der wichtigsten französischen Sprachwissenschaftler des frühen 20. Jahrhunderts. Leben… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Antoine — /an twahn/; Fr. /ahonn twannn /, n. 1. André /ahonn drdday /, 1858 1943, French theatrical director, manager, and critic. 2. Père /perdd/ (Francisco Ildefonso Mareno), 1748 1829, Roman Catholic priest in Louisiana: tried to establish an… …   Universalium

  • Antoine — (as used in expressions) Barye, Antoine Louis Becquerel, (Antoine) Henri Bougainville, Louis Antoine de Carême, Marie Antoine Charpentier, Marc Antoine Condorcet, Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, marqués de Cournot, Antoine Augustin… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Antoine Meillet — (nacido Paul Jules Antoine Meillet, 11 de noviembre de 1866 21 de septiembre de 1936), principal lingüista francés de los primeros decenios del XX. Estudió en la Sorbona a partir de 1885 y siguió especialmente los cursos de Michel Bréal en el… …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”