Nicolaas van Wijk (1880-1941) was the founder of Slavic studies in the Netherlands and one of the greatest Slavists in general. This book describes for the first time how a scholar of the Dutch language, whose etymological dictionary of the Dutch language is still considered the best of its kind, was appointed in 1913 to the newly created Chair in Slavic languages at Leiden University and built up a tremendous reputation for himself in Eastern Europe. Van Wijk’s relations with his famous teacher, the linguist C.C. Uhlenbeck, are followed attentively, as is his postgraduate apprenticeship in Leipzig (1902-1903), where he followed August Leskien’s lectures in Slavic studies. Attention is also paid to the various aspects of Van Wijk’s enormous oeuvre covering the whole field of Slavic studies and of phonology, of which he was one of the pioneers. Van Wijk did not, however, follow the lines approved for the social conduct of a Leiden professor and was at one time suspected by the police of communist activities. His commitment to materially helping all he could from an Eastern Europe torn apart by the First World War and its aftermath was exceptional. His fascination with all things Russian is a background theme that played throughout his life and even at his death: son of a Dutch Reformed minister, the bachelor Van Wijk was buried in a grave surmounted by a Russian Orthodox cross beside his Russian foster son, who died young. This book is of interest to Slavists, linguists and cultural historians.

Studies in Slavic and General Linguistics is mainly devoted to the field of descriptive linguistics. Although the series is primarily intended to be a means of publication for linguists from the Low Countries, the editors are pleased to accept contributions by linguists from abroad.

"Rehoboth Griqua Atlas ... describes the history of the various Baster, Nama and Griqua groups of Southern Africa during the 19th and 20th centuries." -- Author.

Written in a funny, charming, and conversational style, Word Origins is the first book to offer a thorough investigation of the history and the science of etymology, making this little-known field accessible to everyone interested in the history of words. Anatoly Liberman, an internationally acclaimed etymologist, takes the reader by the hand and explains the many ways that English words can be made, and the many ways in which etymologists try to unearth the origins of words. Every chapter is packed with dozens of examples of proven word histories, used to illustrate the correct ways to trace the origins of words as well as some of the egregiously bad ways to trace them. He not only tells the known origins of hundreds of words, but also shows how their origins were determined. And along the way, the reader is treated to a wealth of fascinating word facts. Did they once have bells in a belfry? No, the original meaning of belfry was siege tower. Are the words isle and island, raven and ravenous, or pan and pantry related etymologically? No, though they look strikingly similar, these words came to English via different routes. Partly a history, partly a how-to, and completely entertaining, Word Origins invites readers behind the scenes to watch an etymologist at work.