
Arthur Anthony Macdonell,
FBA (11 May 1854 – 28 December 1930) was an Indian-born British linguist and
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
scholar.
Biography
Macdonell was born at
Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur () is a city located in Muzaffarpur district on the banks of Burhi Gandak River, Burhi Gandak river in the Tirhut division of the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Tirhut division, the Muzaffarpur distri ...
in the
Tirhut region of the state of
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
, the son of Charles Alexander Macdonell, of the Indian Army. He was educated at
Göttingen University
Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
, then matriculated in 1876 at
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College (formally, Corpus Christi College in the University of Oxford; informally abbreviated as Corpus or CCC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517 by Richard Fo ...
, gaining a classical exhibition and three scholarships (for German, Chinese, and the
Boden Scholarship for Sanskrit). He graduated with classical honours in 1880 and was appointed
Taylorian Teacher of German (language) at Oxford. In 1883 he obtained his PhD from the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...
, and then became Deputy Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford in 1888, and
Boden Professor of Sanskrit
The position of Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford was established in 1832 with money bequeathed to the university by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Boden, a retired soldier in the service of the East India Company. He wished th ...
in 1899 (a post that carried with it a
fellowship
A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...
of
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world.
With a governing body of a master and aro ...
).
Macdonell edited various Sanskrit texts, wrote a
grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of rules for how a natural language is structured, as demonstrated by its speakers or writers. Grammar rules may concern the use of clauses, phrases, and words. The term may also refer to the study of such rul ...
,
compiled a dictionary, and published a Vedic grammar, a Vedic Reader, and a work on
Vedic mythology
The historical Vedic religion, also called Vedism or Brahmanism, and sometimes ancient Hinduism or Vedic Hinduism, constituted the religious ideas and practices prevalent amongst some of the Indo-Aryan peoples of the northwest Indian subcontin ...
; he also wrote a history of Sanskrit.
Selected works
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References
External links
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Sanskrit Grammar by Arthur Anthony Macdonell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonnell, Arthur Anthony
1854 births
1930 deaths
British Indologists
Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford
Boden Professors of Sanskrit
Chess historians
Sanskrit scholars from Uttar Pradesh
People from Muzaffarpur
Fellows of the British Academy
British people in colonial India