Alexander Beider (russian: Александр Борисович Бейдер, ; yi, אלכסנדר ביידער, ) is the author of reference books in the field of Jewish onomastics and the linguistic history of

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

Biography

Alexander Beider was born in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

in 1963. In 1986 he graduated from the

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT; russian: Московский Физико-Технический институт, also known as PhysTech), is a public research university located in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It prepares speciali ...

and in 1989 he received a PhD in

applied mathematics Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathemati ...

from the same institution. Since 1990, he lives with his family in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, France. His works deal with

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 geographic distribution of

Jewish surnames Jewish surnames are family names used by Jews and those of Jewish origin. Jewish surnames are thought to be of comparatively recent origin; the first known Jewish family names date to the Middle Ages, in the 10th and 11th centuries CE. Jews have ...

, traditional

given names, methodological principles of studying names, and the history of

. His papers have been published by scholarly journals in US, France, Israel, Poland, and Russia. In 1999, he received his PhD in Jewish studies, from the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

, with thesis about Ashkenazic Jewry names. He is also the co-author with Stephen P. Morse of the Beider–Morse Phonetic Name Matching Algorithm. Beider "provided historical context on Jewish origins" to a team of genetic researchers studying Jews from 14th-century

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

, Germany and became listed as a co-author of their final paper.

Bibliography

* Beider, A. 2019
A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Italy, France and "Portuguese" Communities
New Haven, CN: Avotaynu. * Beider, A. 2017

New Haven, CN: Avotaynu. * Beider, A. 2015
Origins of Yiddish Dialects
Oxford: Oxford University Press. * Beider, A. 2009

Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu. * Beider, A. & Morse, S. P. 2008
Beider–Morse Phonetic Matching: An Alternative to Soundex with Fewer False Hits. Avotaynu
The International Review of Jewish Genealogy 24/2: 12-18. * Beider, A. 2005
Scientific Approach to Etymology of Surnames. Names: A Journal of Onomastics
53: 79-126. * Beider, A. 2004

Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu. * Beider, A. 2001

s. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu. * Beider, A. 1996
A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Kingdom of Poland
Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu. Best Judaica Reference Book" award for 1996* Beider, A. 1995
Jewish Surnames from Prague (15th-18th centuries)
Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu. * Beider, A. 1993, 2008

Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu.

References

External links

Profile at International Institute for Jewish Genealogy

The New Yiddish Dialectology: A Review of Alexander Beider’s ''The Origins of Yiddish Dialects''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beider, Alexander 1963 births Living people Writers from Moscow Russian Jews Soviet emigrants to France French people of Russian-Jewish descent Linguists of Yiddish Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology alumni