Jost Trier (15 December 1894 – 15 September 1970) was a German philologist who was Chair of

German Philology German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German hi ...

at the

University of Münster The University of Münster (german: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. With more than 43,000 students and over 120 fields of stud ...

from 1932 to 1961.

Biography

Jost Trier was born in

Schlitz, Hesse Schlitz is a small town in the Vogelsbergkreis in eastern Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The town of Schlitz lies at the outlet of the small river Schlitz on the Fulda. Neighbouring communities Schlitz borders in the north on the communitie ...

, Germany on 15 December 1894, the son of physician Jost Christian Ludwig Trier (1859-1939) and Else Nehrkorn. After graduating from gymnasium in Barmen in 1914, Trier studied

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

philology,

German philology German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German hi ...

, comparative linguistics and

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

at the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemb ...

. His studies were interrupted by

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, during which Trier served in the Imperial German Army. He was eventually captured by the French, and was since February 1915 interned in a prisoner of war camp in French Algeria. Trier was infected by

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

in 1916, and was subsequently interned in Switzerland, where he was able to continue his studies at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...

(1916-1918). After the war, he continued his studies at the universities of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

(1918-1919) and

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approxima ...

(1919-1920), and subsequently worked as a secondary school teacher. Trier gained his PhD at the University of Freiburg in 1923 with a thesis on

ethnology Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). ...

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

and culture. After gaining his PhD, Trier taught at the University of Marburg. Since 1932, Trier was Chair of German Philology at the

. Trier specialized in

Germanic linguistics Germanic philology is the philological study of the Germanic languages, particularly from a comparative or historical perspective. The beginnings of research into the Germanic languages began in the 16th century, with the discovery of literary tex ...

, particularly

. He was a friend of Dutch philologist Jan de Vries. A teacher and lecturer of considerable ability, Trier played an instrumental role in reviving the field of German studies after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He was the founder and leader of a number of important associations and institutes for German studies. From 1957 to 1957, Trier was Rector at the University of Münster. He retired in 1963.

Selected works

* ''Der Heilige Jodocus'', 1924 * ''Aufsätze und Vorträge zur Wortfeldtheorie'', 1973

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trier, Jost 1894 births 1970 deaths Etymologists German prisoners of war in World War I Germanic studies scholars Germanists Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Linguists from Germany People from the Grand Duchy of Hesse People from Vogelsbergkreis University of Basel alumni University of Freiburg alumni University of Marburg alumni University of Marburg faculty University of Münster faculty 20th-century linguists German Army personnel of World War I