Per Hovda (October 17, 1908 – April 1, 1997) was a Norwegian

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

. Hovda was born in

Hjelmeland Municipality is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Rogaland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hj ...

, the son of the teacher Johannes Hovda (1874–?) and Eli née Kleppa (1883–1939). He took his ''

examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

'' in 1929 and became a conscripted officer in the military in 1930, attaining the rank of major. During the German attack on Norway in 1940, he participated as an unpaid lieutenant and adjutant in the first battalion of the Rogaland Infantry Regiment No. 8 (IR8). In the fishing dispute between the United Kingdom and Norway before the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

in the Hague in 1949, his report on names of fishing grounds was presented to the court as evidence. Hovda received the degree ''

candidatus philologiæ Candidate ( or ) is the name of various academic degrees, which are today mainly awarded in Scandinavia. The degree title was phased out in much of Europe through the 1999 Bologna Process, which has re-formatted academic degrees in Europe. The de ...

'' in 1938 and his PhD in 1962. He became a lecturer at Kongsgaard School in Stavanger in 1939 and an assistant professor at the Norwegian Place-Names Archives () in 1940. He served as the archives manager from 1942 at 1978, and was a lecturer in Nordic place name research at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

from 1945 onward, a lecturer in Nordic place name research and Nordic languages at the

University of Gothenburg The University of Gothenburg () is a List of universities in Sweden, university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current List of universities in Sweden#Public universities, S ...

from 1955 to 1956, and the Norwegian state adviser on geographical names () from 1942 to 1980. Hovda was a board member of the Norwegian Rural Youth organization in Oslo from 1930 to 1934, a board member of ''Norsk Tidende'' from 1952 to 1955, a board member of the Norwegian Society for Language Cultivation () from 1949 onward (chairman from 1971 onward), a board member of the Nordic Toponyms Council () from 1946 onward, a board member of the Nordic Council for Names Research () from 1971 onward, chairman of the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association () from 1963 to 1965, chairman of the Norwegian–Faroese Association () from 1961 to 1964, a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick University in Christiania was establis ...

from 1968 onward, and a member of the

Language Council of Norway The Language Council of Norway (, ) is the administrative body of the Norwegian state on language issues. It regulates the two written forms of the Norwegian language: Bokmål and Nynorsk. It was established in 2005 and replaced the Norwegian Lan ...

from 1971 onward. Hovda was strongly committed to the situation of the elderly and was, among other things, a central figure in a grassroots campaign known as the "elderly revolt" () in 1990.

Awards

Hovda was a recipient of the

Defence Medal 1940–1945 The Defence Medal 1940–1945 () is the award rewarded to those military and civilian personnel who participated in the fight against the German invasion and occupation of Norway between 1940 and 1945. The Defence Medal 1940–1945 can be award ...

with a rosette for his efforts during the Second World War II.

Bibliography

* Hovda, Per. 1951. Les noms des lieux de pêche depuis Træna jusqu'au Varangerfjord (The Names of Fishing Sites from

Træna Træna or Traena may refer to: Places * Træna Municipality, a municipality in Nordland county, Norway * Træna Lighthouse, a lighthouse in Træna Municipality in Nordland county, Norway * Træna Church, a church in Træna Municipality in Nordland ...

to the

Varanger Fjord The Varangerfjord (; ; ; ) is the easternmost fjord in Norway, north of Finland. The fjord is located in Finnmark county between the Varanger Peninsula and the mainland of Norway. Extents The fjord flows through the municipalities of Vardø, ...

). ''Pleadings, Oral Arguments, Documents. Fisheries Case (United Kingdom v. Norway)'', 3.579–90. The Hague: International Court of Justice. * 150 articles indexed a
Terje Larsen: ''Norsk stadnamnbibliografi førebels nettversjon'' (Norwegian Place Name Bibliography, provisional online version), December 1998

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hovda, Per 1908 births 1997 deaths Norwegian military personnel of World War II People from Hjelmeland 20th-century Norwegian philologists