Julius Pokorny (12 June 1887 – 8 April 1970) was an Austrian-Czech

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

and scholar of the

Celtic languages The Celtic languages ( ) are a branch of the Indo-European language family, descended from the hypothetical Proto-Celtic language. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward Lhuyd in 1707, following Paul-Yve ...

and of

Celtic studies Celtic studies or Celtology is the academic discipline occupied with the study of any sort of cultural output relating to the Celts, Celtic-speaking peoples (i.e. speakers of Celtic languages). This ranges from linguistics, literature and art h ...

, particularly of the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

, and a supporter of

Irish nationalism Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...

. He held academic posts in Austrian and German universities.

Early life and education

Julius Pokorny was born on 12 June 1887 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was educated at the Piarist School in Prague and the Benedictine Abbey school in Kremsmünster, Austria. From 1905 until 1911, he studied at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

, graduating in law and

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

, and he taught there from 1913 to 1920.

Career

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Pokorny was a pro-German propagandist, urging Irish republicans to launch the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

against the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. He is known to have met and corresponded with Roger Casement, an activist for Irish independence who was executed in 1916. Pokorny also served in the war as a reservist in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

(

Cisleithania Cisleithania, officially The Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council (), was the northern and western part of Austria-Hungary, the Dual Monarchy created in the Compromise of 1867—as distinguished from ''Transleithania'' (i.e., ...

n) Army starting in 1916. In 1920, he succeeded Kuno Meyer as Chair of Celtic Philology at Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. Although baptised

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

at birth and being sympathetic to German nationalism, he was suspended in 1933 under the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service (, shortened to ''Berufsbeamtengesetz''), also known as Civil Service Law, Civil Service Restoration Act, and Law to Re-establish the Civil Service, was enacted by the Nazi Party, Na ...

, because of his

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish ancestry. He was reinstated later that year under the exemption for those who had worn the uniform of Germany or its allies in World War I, which had been insisted on by

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

President

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military and political leader who led the Imperial German Army during the First World War and later became President of Germany (1919� ...

as a precondition before he signed the bill into law. In 1935, he was dismissed once again under the provisions of the racist Nuremberg Laws; which led to his replacement as the Berlin Chair for Celtic Studies by . He continued to live more or less openly in Berlin until at least 1939, but lived a shadowy and underground existence there from around 1940 until he escaped to Switzerland in 1943. He taught for a few years at the University of Bern and at the

University of Zurich The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...

until his retirement in 1959. In 1954, he received an honorary professorship at

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

, where he taught part-time in 1956 and again from 1960 to 1965. He was awarded honorary degrees by the University of Wales at Swansea in 1965 and

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

in 1967.

Death

He died in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

in 1970, almost three weeks after being hit by a tram not far from his home.

Scholarship

He was the editor of the journal of philological studies from 1921 until forced out by the Nazis in 1939, and was responsible for reviving it in 1954. He continued to edit it until his death in 1970. He is the author of the ('Indo-European Etymological Dictionary'; 1959), which was a central text in its time. He also published several collections of Irish writing in German translation, and a thoroughly

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...

history of Ireland in 1916, which appeared in English translation in 1933. Pokorny was a dedicated supporter of the Pan-Illyrian theory and located the Illyrian civilisation's between the

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

and the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

and east from that region where migration began around 2400 BC. Pokorny suggested that Illyrian elements were to be found in much of continental Europe and also in Britain and Ireland. His "Illyromania" derived in part from archaeological "Germanomania" and was supported by contemporary place-names specialists such as

Max Vasmer Max Julius Friedrich Vasmer (; ; 28 February 1886 – 30 November 1962) was a Russian and German linguist. He studied problems of etymology in Indo-European, Finno-Ugric and Turkic languages and worked on the history of Slavic, Baltic, ...

(1928, 1929) and Hans Krahe (1929, 1935, 1940).Krahe, Hans. ''Lexikon altillyrischer Personennamen'' (Dictionary of Old Illyrian personal names) (1929).

Works

; Books * ''Der Ursprung der Arthursage''. Vienna: Anthropologische Gesellschaft, 1909. * ''A Concise Old Irish Grammar and Reader''. Halle an der Saale: Max Niemeyer; Dublin: Hodges/Figgis, 1914. * ''Irland''. Gotha: F.A. Perthes, 1916 (Perthes' kleine Völker- und Länderkunde 1). ** English translation: ''A History of Ireland'', trans. Séana D King. London: Longmans; NY: Green and Co., 1933. * ''Die älteste Lyrik der grünen Insel''. Halle: M. Niemeyer, 1923. * ''A Historical Reader of Old Irish: Texts, Paradigms, Notes, and a Complete Glossary''. Halle: M. Niemeyer (reprint: New York: AMS, 1985). * ''Altirische Grammatik''. Berlin–Leipzig: Walter de Gruyter, 1925. * Alois Walde, ''Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen'', 3 vols. Edited and supplemented by Julius Pokorny. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1927–1932 (reprint: 1973, ). * ''Zur Urgeschichte der Kelten und Illyrier''. Halle: M. Niemeyer, 1938. * ''Altkeltische Dichtungen: Aus dem Irisch-Gälischen und Cymrischen übertragen und eingeleitet''.

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

: A. Francke, 1944. * with Vittore Pisani, ''Allgemeine und vergleichende Sprachwissenschaft: Indogermanistik. Keltologie''. Bern: A. Francke, 1953. * ''

Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch The ''Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch'' (''IEW''; "Indo-European Etymological Dictionary") was published in 1959 by the Austrian-Czech comparative linguist and Celtic languages expert Julius Pokorny. It is an updated and slimmed-down ...

'', 2 vols. Tübingen–Bern–Munich: A. Francke, 1957/1969 (1st edn.), 2005 (5th edn.). ; Articles * "Der Gral in Irland und die mythischen Grundlagen der Gralsage", ''Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien'' 62 (1912): 1–15. * "Erschienene Schriften: Rudolf Thurneysen, Zu irischen Handschriften und Literaturdenkmälern", '' Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie'' (ZCP) 9 (1913): 184–6. * "Die englische Herrschaft in Irland", ''Petermanns Mitteilungen'' 62 (1916): 361–65, 409–12. * "Der irische Aufstand von 1798", ''Irische Blätter'' 4 (1916): 331–340. * "Rasse und Volk in Irland", ''Irische Blätter'' 7 (1917): 524–528. * "Beiträge zur ältesten Geschichte Irlands. 1. Die Fir Bolg, die Urbevölkerung Irlands", ''ZCP'' 11 (1916–17): 189–204. * "Beiträge zur ältesten Geschichte Irlands. 2. Der gae bolga und die nördliche, nicht-iberische Urbevölkerung der Britischen Inseln", ''ZCP'' 12 (1918): 195–231. * "Beiträge zur ältesten Geschichte Irlands. 3. Érainn, Dárin(n)e und die Iverni und Darini des Ptolemäus", ''ZCP'' 12 (1918): 323–357. * "Zu Morands Fürstenspiegel", ''ZCP'' 13 (1921): 43–6. * "Das nichtindogermanische Substrat im Irischen", ''ZCP'' 16 (1927): 95–144, 231–66, 363–94; 17 (1928): 373–88; 18 (1930): 233–48. * "Substrattheorie und Urheimat der Indogermanen", ''Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien'' 66 (1936): 69–91. * "Zum nichtindogermanischen Substrat im Inselkeltischen", ''Die Sprache'' 1 (1949): 235–45. * "Die Geographie Irland bei Ptolemaios", ''ZCP'' 24 (1954): 94–120. *"Keltische Urgeschichte und Sprachwissenschaft", ''Die Sprache'' 5 (1959): 152–64. * "The Pre-Celtic Inhabitants of Ireland", '' Celtica'' 5 (1960): 229–40.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * *

External links

Bibliography of the Scientific Publications of Julius Pokorny

Book announcement for Pól Ó Dochartaigh, ''Julius Pokorny, 1887–1970: Germans, Celts and Nationalism''

Mentioned in James Joyce's ''Ulysses''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pokorny, Julius 1887 births 1970 deaths Celtic studies scholars Linguists from the Czech Republic Linguists from Austria Linguists from Switzerland Linguists of Celtic languages Linguists of Indo-European languages Etymologists Jews from Austria-Hungary Austrian expatriates in Switzerland Austrian expatriates in Germany Czech expatriates in Germany Writers from Prague Pedestrian road incident deaths Road incident deaths in Switzerland Jewish scholars 20th-century linguists Jewish linguists