August Treboniu Laurian
Romanian politician, historian and linguist
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August Treboniu Laurian (Romanian pronunciation: [awˈɡust treˈbonju lau̯riˈan];[needs confirmation] 17 July 1810 – 25 February 1881) was a Transylvanian Romanian politician, historian and linguist. He was born in the village of Hochfeld, Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Fofeldea as part of Nocrich, Romania). He obtained his doctorate at the Göttingen University[1] and was a participant in the 1848 revolution, an organizer of the Romanian school and one of the founding members of the Romanian Academy.[2]
17 July 1810
August Treboniu Laurian | |
|---|---|
August Treboniu Laurian, leader of the Latinist current in the 1870s | |
| Born | Augustin Trifan 17 July 1810 Fofeldea (then Hochfeld), Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (now Fofeldea, Nocrich, Sibiu County, Romania) |
| Died | 25 February 1881 Bucharest, Romania |
Resting place | Bellu Cemetery, Bucharest |
| Alma mater | University of Göttingen (PhD), University of Vienna, University of Cluj, Polytechnic Institute of Vienna |
| Occupations | Politician, historian, linguist, philologist, lexicographer, educator |
| Known for | Founding member of the Romanian Academy; leader in the 1848 Transylvanian Revolution; Latinist movement in Romanian language |
| Notable work | Istoria românilor (History of the Romanians), Dictionariulu limbei romane (with Ioan Massim, 1871–76), Magazinul istoric pentru Dacia (main editor, with Nicolae Bălcescu) |
| Movement | Transylvanian School; Latinist purism |
| Spouse | Maria Ionescu |
| Children | Dimitrie August Laurian, Alexandru Laurian, Lucia Laurian |
Laurian was a member of the Transylvanian School, a mainly-Transylvanian movement in the Romanian culture which promoted the idea that Romanians are pure Romans, whose history was a continuation of the history of the Roman Empire.[3]
His book on History of the Romanians began with the Foundation of Rome in 753 BC and after the demise of Rome, it continues with the history of the Romanians, with all dates being converted to the Roman system, Ab urbe condita. Thus, in his book it is written that Vladimirescu's rebellion occurred in the year AUC 2574 (1821 CE).[4]
Because of this alleged continuity, he supported the purification of the Romanian language by stripping it of non-Latin elements and attempting to bring it as close to Latin as possible. Between 1871 and 1876, Laurian collaborated with Ioan Massim for a two-volume Romanian language dictionary, commissioned by the Romanian Academy. The dictionary was stripped of non-Latin words, including neologisms as replacements for such words, which were supposed to be eliminated from the language. The dictionary was also written in an etymological spelling system, the result being an artificial language which only vaguely resembled Romanian and it provoked laughter, discrediting the Latinist school.[3]
Family
Laurian was the son of Paul August Trifan, the Greek-Catholic priest of Fofeldea. His elder brother, Pătru Trifan (1807–1890), succeeded their father as parish priest in the village.[5]
He married Maria Ionescu (1826–1895), with whom he had three children: Dimitrie August Laurian (1846–1906), Alexandru Laurian (1848–1929), and Lucia Laurian.[6]
Family
Laurian was the son of Paul August Trifan, the Greek-Catholic priest of Fofeldea. His elder brother, Pătru Trifan (1807–1890), succeeded their father as parish priest in the village.[7]
He married Maria Ionescu (1826–1895), with whom he had three children: Dimitrie August Laurian (1846–1906), Alexandru Laurian (1848–1929), and Lucia Laurian.[8]
| Paul August Trifan Greek-Catholic priest | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pătru Trifan 1807–1890 | August Treboniu Laurian 1810–1881 | Maria Ionescu 1826–1895 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dimitrie August Laurian 1846–1906 | Alexandru Laurian 1848–1929 | Lucia Laurian | |||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
Gallery
