Georg Sauerwein

Gravestone on the Lehder cemetery in Gronau (Leine)

Memorial plaque on the tombstone

Georg Julius Justus Sauerwein (born January 15, 1831 in Hanover , † December 16, 1904 in Christiania ) was a German journalist , linguist , pacifist and humanist and an advocate of minority languages ​​in the German Empire ( Lower Sorbian , Lithuanian ). He was particularly interested in the Norwegian language. He often published as Girenas or Pacificus .

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Sauerwein was born the son of a pastor in Hanover and grew up in Gronau (Leine) , since his father took over the position of pastor primarius there in 1841 . At the age of 17 he graduated from high school and then studied linguistics and theology at the University of Göttingen , but also attended lectures in physics , chemistry and botany . However, after three years he dropped out without a degree and spent a few years in England and Wales . In doing so, he discovered his talent for languages ​​and learned over 60 languages ​​and dialects in the course of his life.

At the age of 24 he published an English-Turkish dictionary . From 1857 he was the private tutor of Princess Elisabeth zu Wied , later Queen of Romania , for four years , known as a writer under the pseudonym Carmen Sylva . He is also said to have had a secret love affair with her for several years.

From 1856 to 1896 he worked as a freelancer for the British Bible Society and participated in numerous Bible translations into a wide variety of languages ​​and dialects. On May 29, 1873, at the age of 42, he finally obtained his doctorate in philosophy (Dr. phil.) And a master's degree in liberal arts (MA). Since 1874 Georg Sauerwein stayed repeatedly in Norway , especially in Dovre , and there he campaigned for the revival and renewal of the Norwegian language.

In 1879 and 1881 he ran as a member of the Prussian state parliament and in 1898 for the German Reichstag . However, due to the Prussian three-class suffrage at the time , his election did not come about. Georg Sauerwein died on December 16, 1904 in Kristiania, today's Oslo. He was buried next to his parents in Gronau (Leine) in the Lehder cemetery. The central Sauerwein archive is located in the city archive of Gronau and the Gronau secondary school was named after him in his honor (since 2009: Cooperative comprehensive school Gronau (Leine) ). In Gronau, Hanover, Dovre, Klaipėda (Memel), Šilutė (Heydekrug) and Burg (Spreewald) streets are named after him.

Fields of activity and publications

Due to the multitude of languages ​​and dialects that he mastered, Georg Sauerwein was considered the greatest linguist of his time.

The avowed pacifist turned against the imperialism of the empire and published, among other things, bilingual poems in French on the occasion of the peace congress in Paris in 1899 , in which he urged peace.

Throughout his life he felt himself to be an advocate of the interests of national minorities in particular and the preservation of their own language. In addition to Norwegian, he was particularly interested in Sorbian and Lithuanian. His “Lithuanian Spring Song ” (Lietuvininku pavasario giesmele), which is also bilingual, is still very popular in Lithuania today and is considered the second national anthem there . Sauerwein published collections of poetry in Lower Sorbian and in Norwegian in 1877 and 1885, or "Serbske stucki " (Wendish verses) and "Frie Viso ifraa Vigguin" (Free songs from the mountains) .

Georg Sauerwein deserves special recognition as the author of numerous books, poems and articles in which he commented on problems of the languages ​​of the small peoples, on current political questions of his time and on the country and people, with whom he always sought and always entertained .

languages

In addition to his political commitment, Sauerwein's ability to learn languages ​​should be emphasized. Depending on the biographer, he is assigned 45 to over 80 languages. By evaluating the languages ​​used in Sauerwein's writings, at least 51 languages ​​are considered certain. Taking into account the languages ​​mentioned in his diaries and in his correspondence, at least 75 languages ​​can be assumed.

For many polyglot people the oral use of languages ​​is in the foreground, but for Sauerwein the simultaneous multilingualism of his literature is remarkable. For example, Sauerwein used thirty languages in his first polyglot peace book, Le Livre des Salutations (1888). How deep Sauerwein's language skills were in the individual languages ​​can only be guessed at; only the quality of the active use of language in the scriptures can be checked. In addition to the literary quality, the style and grammar of all scripts must be checked. A more precise or more comprehensive test cannot yet be found in the literature. The quality of Sauerwein's languages ​​in the form of oral language skills is no longer comprehensible.

Language acquisition did not seem to cause Sauerwein any difficulties; he often learned a language in a few weeks. He preferred the "direct" method, that is, he learned the languages ​​preferably through direct communication with a native speaker.

Quotes

• “ Gaž jaden invited swóju rĕc a narodnosć zgubjujo, ga ma wón wjeliku škodu na swójom duchu a swójej dušy. If a people loses its language and nationality, it takes great damage to spirit and soul. "(Sorbian)
• “ Serbstwo! Ty sy tak bogate, a ty samo to njewĕš! How rich are you, my Sorbian people! You don't even know. "(Sorbian)

Works (selection)

Note: Sauerwein published a substantial part of his writings under the pseudonyms Girėnas and Pacificus

• A Pocket Dictionary of the English and Turkish Languages . Williams & Norgate , London 1855
• Serbske stucki . Monse, Budyšin 1877
• Spreewald Kaiserlied, which the maiden deputation from the Spreewalde presented to Her Majesty the Empress of Germany and the Queen of Prussia and His Imperial Highness to the Crown Prince of the German Empire in Berlin . Schmaler, Bautzen 1878
• Wélgi zescźonemu a lubemu Kněsoju Janoju Postoju ... na Jogo rědny 50lětny Sswěźeń . Schischeź Ssmoleréjz knigłyschischeźaŕńe, Budyschyŕe 1884
• Frie Viso ifraa Vigguin sungje i Nørdre-Gudbrandsdalsk Dølamaal . Cammermeyer, Kristiania 1885
• as Girenas: The Lithuanian question of some newspapers with a German and a Lithuanian answer . Voska, Tilsit 1888
• as Girenas: Le Livre des Salutations adressées aux Nations Orientales et Occidentales composé pour le VIIIième Congrès des Orientalistes qui se réunira à Stockholm in 1889 . Drugulin, Leipzig 1888
• as Girenas: Exceptional moment. Postscriptum du Livre des Salutations adressé au Congrès des Orientalistes . Drugulin, Leipzig 1889
• as Girenas: West-Eastern family register. On Mirza Schaffy's seventieth birthday April 22, 1889 . Drugulin, Leipzig 1889
• as Girenas: Immanuel Kant and Ludwig Windthorst in relation to appropriate treatment and appropriate teaching of a foreign-language people and the school-side fight against socialism . Tønsbergs Bogtrykkeri, Christiania 1891
• as Girenas: About some aberrations and failures of the latest culture. A call for help in favor of many poor children and parents to the great German nation . Mauderode, Christiania, Omtvedt and Tilsit 1891
• as Girenas: Grenzwächter's sonnets about speeches and silence . [Without publisher], [Without location] 1893
• as Girenas: in death life. Poem from the month of mourning March 1864 . [Without publisher], [Without location] 1894
• About Lithuanian folklore and Lithuanian folk costume. Cultural-historical conversation between Messrs Germanus and Lithuanus, initiated by Minzloff's Littauer photographs and to explain them . Mauderode, Tilsit 1894
• Three patriotic speeches from the beautiful year 1871, held on the Emperor's birthday, the peace festival and the entry of the warriors to Gronau ad Leine . Gerstenberg, Hildesheim 1896
• Skyrimo Draugystės Vyriausybė. Mielieji skyrėjai lietuvininkai . [Without publisher], Tilsit 1898
• From Arya to Eire, from Manu to Man. The Queen Victoria Birth-Day Polyglot Peace Album. The Nations' Undiplomatic Concert of Languages. Polyglot Peace Album in Memory of the 80th Birth-Day of Her Majesty Queen Victoria Empress of India Jaitrigrantha . Drugulin, Leipzig 1899
• Sprogstudier and skaldskab i fredssagens tjeneste . (Foredrag af dr. G. Sauerwein i fredsforeningen paa Nobeldagen.) Cammermeyer, Christiania 1903
• Laetare. A Congratulation to Kymdeithas on the occasion of her first centenary as being also the most genuine missionary society, the most promising peace society and the greatest linguist in the world by Pacificus . Share-Trykkeriet, Kristiania 1904
• Frido Mětšk (ed.): Juro Surowin: Wšyknym by kśĕl tołmacyś. Wuběrk basnjow . Domowina, Budyšyn 1975
• Frido Mětšk (ed.): Juro Surowin: Sol zemje. Wuběrk process . Domowina, Budyšyn 1978
• Domas Kaunas (Ed.): Nemunyciai. Kaip azuols druts prie Nemunelio . Vilnius 1986, pp. 99-217
• Kito Lorenc (Ed.): Serbska poezija 29: Juro Surowin . Ludowe Nak. Domowina, Budyšyn 1991
• Alfred Franzkeit and Jokubas Skliutauskas (ed.): Sauerwein-Gedichte. From the collection by Dr. Jonas Basanavičius, 1922 . Melina Verlag, Ratingen 1993
• Korla Awgust Kocor and Georg Sauerwein (text): Norwegian songs. For voice and piano . ENA Musikverlag, Litschen 1995
• Jan Torgeir Lindsøe (Ed.): Frie Viso ifraa Vigguin sungje i Nørdre-Gudbrandsdalsk Dølamaal . [Without publisher], Dovre 2006

literature

• Vincas Kuzmickas and Aleksandras Seselgis : Jurgis Zauerveinas. Medziaga bibliografijai . [Without publisher], Vilnius 1975
• Richard H. Dalitz and Gerald Stone : Contributions from English and Welsh Sources to the Biography of Georg Sauerwein . In: Lĕtopis. Instituta za serbski ludospyt . Row A, Volume 31/2. Bautzen 1984, pp. 182-206
• Dr. Georg Sauerwein. 1st International Sauerwein Symposium, November 8th - November 11th 1990 . City archive, Gronau (Leine) 1990
• Roland Marti (ed.): Sauerwein - Girėnas - Surowin. II. International Sauerwein Symposium November 21-26, 1995 Gronau (Leine), Budyšin / Bautzen, Borkowy / Burg . Olms, Hildesheim (inter alia) 1996
• Oskar Vistdal : Georg Sauerwein - europear og døl. A documentary . Norsk Bokreidingslag, Bergen 2000
• Jonas Basanavičius and Domas Kaunas (eds.): ParengėMedega d-ro Jurgio Sauerweino biografijai (materials for a biography of Dr. Georg Sauerwein) . Valstybės Žinio, Vilnius 2001
• Hans Masalskis : The language genius. Georg Sauerwein. A biography . Igel-Verlag, Oldenburg 2003
• Oskar Vistdal (Ed.): III. International Sour Wine Symposium in Dovre, August 9-12, 2000 . Dovre commune, Dovre 2003
• Vilma Urbonaviciute (Ed.): Georgas Sauerweinas ir lietuviu tautos atgimimas XIX A. Pabaigoje. IV tarptautinis G. Sauerweino mokslinis simpoziumas Klaipedoje . Klaipedos Universitetas, Klaipeda 2005
• Georg Sauerwein: On the biography of the Hanoverian language genius Georg Sauerwein . [Without publisher], Hannover 2006
• Domas Kaunas : Knygos kultura ir kurejas . Vilniaus universiteto Leidykla, Vilnius 2009

Web links

Commons : Georg Sauerwein  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Sauerwein website developed as part of a thesis
• Georg-Sauerwein-Realschule ( Memento from May 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
• Cooperative comprehensive school Gronau