Jan Szczepan Otrębski (8 December 188926 April 1971) was a Polish philologist, linguist, and author of 350 scientific papers in the field of Slavic and Baltic studies. He is particularly noted for his study of the
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.8 millio ...
. He held the Chair of Baltic Philology in the
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
The Adam Mickiewicz University ( pl, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu; Latin: ''Universitas Studiorum Mickiewicziana Posnaniensis'') is a research university in Poznań, Poland.
It traces its origins to 1611, when under the Royal Ch ...
and was the founder of the ''Lingua Posnaniensis'' journal. His three-volume work ''Gramatyka języka litewskiego'' (''Grammar of Contemporary Lithuanian'') is considered his magnum opus.
Early life
Otrębski was born on 8 December 1889, to a family of intellectuals in
Pilica, in the
Kielce Governorate
Kielce Governorate (russian: Келецкая губерния (pre-1917 orthography: Кѣлецкая губернія); pl, Gubernia kielecka) was an administrative unit (governorate) of Congress Poland.
History
It was created in 1841 from th ...
of
Congress Poland
Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...
.
[ He studied at the ]University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...
, where he met Yefemiy Karski who was the supervisor of his first thesis, "Description of Byelorussian Dialects in Vilnius Province". During his work on this thesis he first came into contact with the Lithuanian language. The work received a gold medal, and Otrębski was titled "''Primus Inter Pares
''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their sen ...
''".
In 1914 he studied for his doctorate at Leipzig University
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), 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 ...
, and managed to complete his doctoral dissertation in comparative linguistics
Comparative linguistics, or comparative-historical linguistics (formerly comparative philology) is a branch of historical linguistics that is concerned with comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness.
Genetic relatedness ...
by early 1915. However, the outbreak of World War I prevented him from completing his education. He was interned, and worked for a time in a German brick factory. Later during the war he moved to Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town
, image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...
, where he worked as a teacher. When the war ended, Otrębski submitted his doctoral thesis, titled "Przyczynki do gramatyki porównawczej języków indoeuropejskich" ("Contributions to a Comparative Grammar of the Indo-European Languages"), to Professor Jan Michał Rozwadowski
Jan Michał Rozwadowski (7 December 1867 – 13 March 1935) was a Poles, Polish linguist and a professor at the Jagiellonian University. He was also the president of the Polish Academy of Learning.
References
1867 births
1935 deaths
...
at Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...
, and he defended the dissertation in 1920.[
]
Career
After receiving his doctorate, Otrębski became associated with the Stefan Batory University
Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
, becoming a professor and heading its Department of Indo-European Studies. He studied the Lithuanian dialect in Tverečius
Tverečius ( pl, Twerecz) is a town in Ignalina district municipality, in Utena County, eastern Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 231 people.
History
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Tverečius was first time mentio ...
between 1928 and 1934. During World War II he was at Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
. After the war he moved to Poznań, founding in 1947 the Chair of Baltic Philology at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.[
Otrębski authored 350 scientific papers in the field of Slavic and Baltic studies, of which more than 100 were devoted to the study of the Lithuanian language. He founded the ''Lingua Posnaniensis'' journal, published by the ]Poznań Society of Friends of Learning
The Poznań Society for the Advancement of Arts and Sciences ( pl, Poznańskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk, ''PTPN'') is a learned society in Poznań, Poland, established in 1857, of scholars and scientists in all branches of learning. It has ...
. His three-volume work titled ''Gramatyka języka litewskiego'' (''Grammar of Contemporary Lithuanian'') is considered his magnum opus.[
]
Death and legacy
Otrębski died on 26 April 1971 in Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
, where he was buried.
Though Otrębski had been born in Pilica in southern Poland, which was unrelated to Lithuania, and first encountered Lithuanian as an adult, he devoted much of his adult life to the study of the Lithuanian language. In Lithuania, he is respected, as on the 125th anniversary of his birth, his memory was honored in a scientific conference held in the Seimas
The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendmen ...
(Lithuanian parliament) in 2014.[
]
References
External links
Jan Szczepan Otrębski Życie i dzieło (1889 – 1971)
biography by Magdalena Gawrońska-Garstka (Polish).
Oral history interview with Jan Otrebski
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust hi ...
, 2 August 1995
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otrebski, Jan
1889 births
1971 deaths
People from Pilica
People from Kielce Governorate
Linguists from Poland
Balticists
Dialectologists
20th-century linguists
University of Warsaw alumni
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań faculty