Rudolf Thurneysen (1857-1940)
Life
b. Basel, Switzerland; studied philology under Windisch and Zimmer; examined the linguistic, literary, and legal history in Old Irish MSS according to principals of historical linguistics; doctorate [Habilitation] at Jena 1882, where he taught Latin, 1885-87; appt. to chair of Comparative Linguistics at Freiburg-im-Breisau, 1887, and afterwards at Bonn, 1913; |
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issued Handbuch des Altirischen, 2 vol. (1909), later trans. by Binchy and Bergin as A Grammar of Old Irish (1946); also Die irische Helden und Königssage bis zum 17.ten Jahrhundert (1921) and Das Keltische Recht (1935); acknowledge as world expert on Old Irish; retired from Freiburg U., 1923; d. in Bonn; D. A. Binchy [q.v.] studied under him and became the leading authority on ancient Irish jurisprudence. |
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Works
- Handbuch des Altirischen, 2 vol. (Heidelberg: C. Winter 1909); trans. by D. A. Binchy & Osborn Bergin as A Grammar of Old Irish (1946); A supplement to same (1948), and Do. [rev. & enl. edn.] (1975; rep. & suppl. 1993), xxi, 717pp. [DIAS Cat. 1996; see extract.]
- DDie irische Helden und Königssage bis zum 17.ten Jahrhundert (1921).
- Das Keltische Recht (1935).
- ed.
Scéla Mucce Meic Dathó (Dublin 1935).
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Also contribs. to Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie xvii [17] (1928), 263-76; 277–303 -see table of contents - infra].
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Quotations
On Early Irish grammar tracts: The Irishman sees the grammatical schemata as concrete realities. There are few documents that give us so deep an insight into the mind of the early Irish - so completely different from our own as these tracts, and yet they spring from the learned classes, acquainted with Latin grammarians. Only by comparison with them can we judge the powerful intellectual achievement a Johannes Eriugena has accomplished in the ninth century, schooled of course by the translation of Dionysius the Areopagite; he too erects a similar pyramidal construction, though it is logically built on a capacity for abstraction learned from the Greeks, without any loss of the Irish capacity for concreteness. Such a work in the Ireland of his day would have been impossible and remained incomprehensible. Apart from their piety the Irish certainly brought abroad with them their inclination to scholarship, which was not very widespread on the continent, and made them welcome as schoolmasters; but to develop their powers was something they could only do in closer proximity to the Mediterranean. (Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie xvii, [1928]279f.; quoted in Proinsias MacCana, ‘Early Irish Ideology and the Concept of Unity, in The Irish Mind: Exploring Intellectual Traditions, ed. Richard Kearney, Dublin: Wolfhound 1984, p.62.)
Further (Mac Cana, 1984): Thurneysen refers here to grammar and philosophy, but as Frank OConnor remarks, He might have said with equal truth that a book like Bedes History of the English Church would in the Ireland of that time have been impossible and remained incomprehensible. (OConnor, The Backward Look, London, 1967, p.9; quoting OConnors translation of Thurneysens German - as above.)
Reference
Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 17 (1928) - Contents |
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Ludwig Mühlhausen |
Neue Beiträge zum Perceval-Thema |
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1–30 |
Holger Pedersen |
Irisch miad |
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31–32 |
Julius Pokorny |
Irisch úr und molc |
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32 |
Wolfgang Krause |
Zur Erklärung des irischen Äquativs |
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33–44 |
Roland M. Smith |
The alphabet of Cuigne mac Emoin |
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45–72 |
Joseph Vendryes |
Sur les adverbes de manière du type v.-irl. in biucc, gall. yn fychan |
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73–78 |
Rudolf Much |
Arepennis |
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79–80 |
John Lloyd-Jones |
Some features of Middle Welsh syntax |
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81–101 |
Wilhelm Schulze |
Zu den altirischen Glossen |
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102–106 |
Henry Lewis |
Y ferf ar testun |
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107–110 |
Douglas Hyde |
Trí gáire an domhain |
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111–112 |
J. Glyn Davies |
The englyn trisectual long-line in early Welsh metrics |
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113–128 |
Julius Pokorny |
Archaisch irisch óëc jung |
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128 |
Tomás Ó Máille |
Medb Chruachna |
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129–146 |
Joseph Loth |
Irlandais col, cuil; gallois cwl |
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147–152 |
E. J. Gwynn |
Athirnes mother |
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153–156 |
Charles Plummer |
On the fragmentary state of the text of the Brehon laws |
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157–166 |
T. Gwynn Jones |
Ein kymrisches Fluchgedicht |
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167–176 |
Vittorio Bertoldi |
Keltische Wortprobleme: Irisch find-choll = gallisch *alisa |
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177–192 |
Julius Pokorny |
Conles abenteuerliche Fahrt |
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193–205 |
Thomas F.ORahilly |
Tuillim buide |
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206–212 |
William J. Watson |
The Edinburgh version of Scel Mucci mic da Tho |
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213–222 |
Osborn Bergin |
Notes on the Würzburg glosses |
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223–224 |
Vernam Hull |
The Middle Irish version of Bedes De locis sanctis |
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225–240 |
(A. G. van Hamel |
Über die vorpatrizianischen irischen Annalen |
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241–260 |
Julius Pokorny |
Zu den irischen Zahlwörtern in Südwales |
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261–262 |
Rudolf Thurneysen |
Zu Verslehre II |
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263–276 |
Rudolf Thurneysen |
Auraicept na n-éces |
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277–303 |
Julius Pokorny |
Miszellen [1. Zum Scél mucce Maicc Dathó; 2. Air. ferbb Kuh; 3. Mir. idnae pl. Waffen, Schlachtreihe, Heer, Banner; 4. Air. híth, mkymr. iwt, bret. iôd Brühe; 5. Mir. eorna Gerste] |
304–306 |
Myles Dillon |
Nominal predicates in Irish II |
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307–346 |
Séamas Ó Duilearga |
Tóruigheacht Duibhe Lacha Láimh-ghile |
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347–370 |
John J. Savage |
An Old Irish gloss in Cod. Laur. XLV, 14 |
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371–372 |
Julius Pokorny |
Das nicht-indogermanische Substrat im Irischen [part 2] |
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373–388 |
R. I. Best |
Notes on Rawlinson B. 512 |
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389–402 |
Alan Orr Anderson |
Varia [1. The dating passing in Gildass Excidium; 2. Gildas and Arthur] |
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403–406 |
Roland M. Smith |
Morand and the Bretha Nemed |
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407–411 |
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[ Source: CODECS: Collaborative Online Database and e-Resources for Celtic Studies - online; accessed 16.09.2023 ] |
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