Gilbert Lazard
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Gilbert Lazard | |
|---|---|
Lazard in 2013 | |
| Born | February 4, 1920 |
| Died | September 6, 2018 (aged 98) |
| Scientific career | |
| Doctoral students | Ali Shariati |
Gilbert Lazard (4 February 1920 – 6 September 2018) was a French linguist and Iranologist.[1] His works include the study of various Iranian languages, translations of classical Persian poetry, and research on linguistic typology, notably on morphosyntactic alignment. He also studied various Polynesian languages most notably the Tahitian language.[2]
Gilbert Lazard was born in Paris on 4 February 1920. He studied at the École normale supérieure, where he received a solid training in classical studies and linguistics. During the Second World War, he joined the French Resistance. In 1944, he was arrested by German forces and deported to the Dachau concentration camp, from which he was liberated in 1945.[3]
After the war, Lazard pursued advanced studies in Iranian languages. In 1948, he obtained a degree in Persian from the École des langues orientales (today INALCO), marking the beginning of his academic specialization in Iranian linguistics.[4] His scholarly work played a major role in the study of the historical development of Persian, particularly the transition from Middle Persian to New Persian.
Alongside his work on Iranian languages and Persian classical literature, Lazard also made significant contributions to general linguistics, especially in the fields of syntactic typology and morphosyntactic alignment. He also conducted important research on the Tahitian language and broader Polynesian linguistics.[5]