Robert Caldwell
Bishop Robert Caldwell ( 7 May 1814 - 28 August 1891 ) was a Scottish Anglican missionary and linguist . He is a major co-founder of the scientific study of the Dravidian languages. He was described in The Hindu newspaper as a "pioneering hero of the oppressed" and as an "avant-garde social reformer". The Tamil Nadu government built a memorial in his honor. In 1968 a statue of Caldwell was erected on the Madras Marina in Chennai . Caldwell also served as a motif for Indian postage stamps.
Life
Caldwell was born in 1814 to a Presbyterian Scottish family. He graduated from the University of Glasgow and was a Congregational minister ordained . His enthusiasm for languages brought him to Madras in 1838 . There he should work under the auspices of the London Missionary Society . There he got to know, among other things, the Indian language Tamil . Caldwell recognized that fluency was required to be more successful as a missionary. Because of this, he began a systematic study of the native language.
Because he was personally inclined to the poorest and most isolated communities, he moved to the Anglican Society for the Propagation of the Gospel . This sent him to Tirunelveli . He stayed there until 1877. In that year he received his ordination as Anglican bishop.
His personal wish to die in India was fulfilled in 1891.
Dravidian languages
Caldwell came to the conclusion that the Tamil language was older than expected and essentially independent of Sanskrit . This was interpreted as a unifying characteristic of the various peoples belonging to it. In his investigations he discovered the language family of the Dravidian languages and the South Indian language family . Caldwell wrote then in 1856 his work Comparative Grammar (dt .: Comparative Grammar ), which has been revised a year later again. This book was considered a groundbreaking work for Indian and Western students.
Life's work
His work had unforeseen consequences. His life's work thus contributed to giving the lower castes a linguistic and cultural identity. Thousands were Christianized and got access to education. His views also contributed to the non-brahmin ( self-esteem ) movement .
Today the movement initiated by Caldwell is known as the Tamil Renaissance .
Fonts (selection)
- A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South Indian Family of Languages. Harrison: London, 1856.
literature
- Robert Eric Frykenberg: Caldwell, Robert (1814-1891). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Volume 9: Burt-Capon. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861359-8 , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c “Pioneering champion of the downtrodden”, The Hindu . (archive.org, online ( Memento of November 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive )) Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d Robert Caldwell on britishemprie.co.uk ( online ). Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ^ Robert Caldwell in Stamps of India ( online ). Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ↑ a b Faith and Family: Robert Caldwell , section "Dravidian" languages " on britishemprie.co.uk ( online ). Retrieved May 6, 2017
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Caldwell, Robert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish Anglican missionary and linguist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 7, 1814 |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 28, 1891 |