Victor Egon Hanzeli, Sr. (1925 – April 23, 1991) was a Hungarian

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

and professor of Romance Languages and Literature at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

. His pioneering 1969 book, ''Missionary Linguistics in New France'', is considered the best in its field. He spoke five languages.

Early life and education

Victor Hanzeli was born in Hungary in 1925. He started his academic studies at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

and went on to graduate from the

University of Budapest A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. In 1947, Hanzeli moved to France, and in 1951 he moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. He continued his studies at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

where received his doctorate in

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than F ...

and

linguistics Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure ...

. His 1961 dissertation is titled ''Early descriptions by French missionaries of Algonquian and Iroquoian languages: A study of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century practice in linguistics''.

Career

Hanzeli joined the

faculty in 1957. He was active in University affairs and over the course of his career, served in several different roles in addition to teaching. For five years he served as Chair of the Department of Romance Languages and Literature. He also served as Director of the Washington Foreign Language Program and coauthored a report to the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

on it. In addition to these academic roles, he was also President of the University's chapter of the

American Association of University Professors The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership includes over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations. The AAUP's stated mission is ...

and served as faculty representative to the Washington State Legislature. Hanzeli was one of only a few academics (the most notable exception being

James Axtell James L. Axtell (born December 20, 1941 in Endicott, New York) is an American historian. He was a professor of history at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Axtell, whose interests lie in American Indian history and t ...

) to study role of linguistics in the activities of

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

missionaries among Native American populations. His 1969 book, ''Missionary Linguistics in New France'', is considered a pioneering study of missionary linguists in

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

. It is still considered the best in the field.

Personal life

Hanzeli married his wife, Eva, sometime before moving to France in 1947. They had five children: Victor Jr., of Marysville; Beatrice, of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

; Tina Hodgins, of Olympia; Dennis, of

Brier Briar, Briars, Brier, or Briers may refer to: * Briar, or brier, common name for a number of unrelated thorny plants that form thicket People * Brier (surname) * Briers, a surname * Briars (surname) Places * Briar, Missouri, U.S. * Bri ...

; and Gabriel, of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. Hanzeli died on April 23, 1991 after a long illness.

Works

Dissertation

Articles and contributions

* * * * * *

Books

* * * * *

Translations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanzeli, Victor 1925 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American translators 20th-century linguists American male non-fiction writers American social sciences writers Educators from Seattle Eötvös Loránd University alumni Historical linguists Hungarian emigrants to the United States Hungarian expatriates in Austria Hungarian expatriates in France Hungarian male writers Indiana University alumni Linguists from Hungary Linguists from the United States Translators from Hungarian Translators to English University of Washington faculty