Hrachia Acharian

Hrachia Acharian
Born20 March [O.S. 8 March] 1876
Died16 April 1953(1953-04-16) (aged 77)
NationalityArmenian
EducationUniversity of Paris
University of Strasbourg
Occupation(s)Linguist, educator
Signature
A plaque with a small sculpture at 43 Mashtots Avenue in Yerevan, where Acharian lived between 1940 and 1953.

Hrachia Acharian[a] (Armenian: Հրաչեայ Աճառեան, reformed spelling: Հրաչյա Աճառյան Armenian pronunciation: [həɾɑtʃʰjɑ ɑtʃɑrjɑn];[b] 8 March 1876 – 16 April 1953) was an Armenian linguist,[1] lexicographer, etymologist, and philologist.

An Istanbul Armenian, Acharian studied at local Armenian schools and at the Sorbonne, under Antoine Meillet, and the University of Strasbourg, under Heinrich Hübschmann. He then taught in various Armenian communities in the Russian Empire and Iran before settling in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1923, working at Yerevan State University until his death.

A polyglot, Acharian compiled several major dictionaries, including the monumental Armenian Etymological Dictionary, extensively studied Armenian dialects, compiled catalogs of Armenian manuscripts, and authored comprehensive studies on the history of Armenian language and alphabet. Acharian is considered the father of Armenian linguistics.


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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Adalian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).