George Eugene Dunkel

Background

George Eugene Dunkel was born on November 28, 1948, in New York City to George Eugene Dunkel and Helen Ouroumoff Dunkel. His American background later connected with an international scholarly career in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.

In November 1968, while in Paris, Dunkel attended Émile Benveniste's introduction to comparative Indo-European grammar and began studying Sanskrit. He later pursued further training in Philadelphia and Erlangen, developing the comparative and historical interests that shaped his academic work.

Education

Dunkel received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College in 1970, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1976. His doctoral dissertation, Repetition and Deletion of Preverbs and Verbs in Early Indic and Greek, examined verbal and preverbal structures in early Indo-European languages.

Trinity College, founded in Hartford in 1823, is one of the historic liberal-arts colleges of the United States. The University of Pennsylvania, founded in Philadelphia in 1740, developed a major tradition in research and professional education; its linguistics environment provided the setting for Dunkel's graduate work in Indo-European studies.

Dunkel's later training and teaching connected him with comparative Indo-European scholarship in Paris and Erlangen. His academic formation emphasized the historical study of Greek, Sanskrit, Vedic, Hittite, Latin, and the reconstructed Indo-European protolanguage.

Career

Dunkel began teaching in the Department of Classics at Johns Hopkins University in 1975 and continued there until 1978. Johns Hopkins, founded in Baltimore in 1876, was established as a research university modeled on the German system and was an important center of advanced scholarly training in the humanities and sciences.

In 1978 he joined Princeton University, first as an assistant professor and later as an associate professor. Princeton, founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, was one of the leading American institutions for classical studies and historical scholarship. Dunkel also held a visiting assistant professorship at Swarthmore College in 1980.

Dunkel moved to the University of Zurich in 1986 and became a professor of Indo-European linguistics. He chaired the university's Indo-European seminar, later identified with the Indogermanisches Seminar, and remained associated with the institution as professor emeritus. From 1986 to 2013, his responsibilities included Latin, Greek, Vedic, and comparative Indo-European linguistics.

His research concentrates on Indo-European indeclinables, especially particles, conjunctions, adverbs, and pronominal stems. He has also studied inherited phraseology, poetic formulas, the relative chronology of Indo-European, nominal composition, verb morphology, Mycenaean and archaic Greek, Vedic language, Hittite, and the historical grammar of Latin and its relatives.

Dunkel served on the advisory committee of the Perseus Project in the Department of Classics at Harvard University from 1986 to 1989 and participated in the Arbeitsausschuss of the Indogermanische Gesellschaft from 1988 to 1996. The Perseus Project develops digital resources for the study of the ancient world, while the Indogermanische Gesellschaft is an international scholarly society devoted to Indo-European linguistics.

Achievements

• Dunkel developed a sustained body of research on Indo-European particles, pronominal stems, inherited phraseology, and the historical grammar of Greek, Vedic, Hittite, and Latin.

• His two-volume Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme provided an extensive treatment of Indo-European particles, primary adverbs, conjunctions, and pronominal stems.

• Dunkel contributed to the development of digital classical scholarship through his service on the advisory committee of the Perseus Project at Harvard University.

Works

More photos

• book chapter

  • Chips from an aptotologist's workshop I

    (Study of Indo-European particles and related forms contri...)

    2007

  • Verse-internal sentence-boundary in the Rg-Veda: a preliminary overview

    (Contribution to Grammatische Kategorien, proceedings of t...)

    1985

  • Slavic chips from an aptotologist's workshop

    (Contribution to Von grammatischen Kategorien und sprachli...)

    2009

  • Chips from an aptotologist's workshop II

    (Study of Indo-European adverbial forms and particles cont...)

    2008
  • Particles and personal pronouns: inclusive *me and exclusive *we

    (Chapter examining competing interpretations of Indo-Europ...)

    2004

  • Luvian -tar and Homeric τ᾽ ἀρ

    (Contribution to Evidence and Counter-Evidence, a Festschr...)

    2008

  • Typology versus Reconstruction

    (Contribution to Bono Homini Donum, essays in historical l...)

    1981

  • J. Wackernagel und die idg. Partikeln *so, *-ke, *-kem und *an

    (Contribution to a volume on Jakob Wackernagel and modern ...)

    1990

  • The IE resultative particle *es

    (Contribution to Per aspera ad asteriscos, a Festschrift f...)

    2004

  • The sound-systems of Proto-Indo-European

    (Contribution to the proceedings of the 12th UCLA Indo-Eur...)

    2001

  • Latin -pte, -pe, -per, -pse: IE limiting *-pó-te, *-pe-r and *póti- ‘master’

    (Contribution to the proceedings of the 16th UCLA Indo-Eur...)

    2005

  • On the origins of nominal composition in IE

    (Contribution to Compositions Indogermanicae in memoriam J...)

    1999

  • Mycenaean a-ke-ra-te and E-ke-ra2-wo

    (Contribution to Novalis Indogermanica, a Festschrift for ...)

    2002

  • B. Delbrück and the Instrumental-Ablative in *-m

    (Contribution to a volume on Berthold Delbrück and Indo-Eu...)

    1997

  • Greek μετά and πεδά

    (Contribution to Indogermanica, a Festschrift for Gert Kli...)

    2005

  • Greek Πρίαμος, Latin sōpiō, Vedic sāpa-: Wörter und Sachen

    (Contribution to Munus Amicitiae, a Festschrift for Norber...)

    2014

  • More Mycenaean survivals in later Greek

    (Contribution to Verba et structurae, a Festschrift for Kl...)

    1995

  • Latin iubar and fās: sound-law and analogy

    (Contribution to Sound-Law and Analogy, a Festschrift for ...)

    1997

  • *egó and ágo, *egh₂-óh₁ and *h₂ég-oh₁: Perseveration and the primary thematic ending *-o

    (Contribution to Indo-European Syntax—Questions and Perspe...)

    2002

  • Mono- and disyllabic á in the Rgveda

    (Contribution to Syntaxe des langues indo-iraniennes ancie...)

    1997

  • Latin egomet and tute

    (Contribution to Studi linguistici in onore di Roberto Gus...)

    2006

  • On the 'thematisation' of Latin sum, volo, eo, edo and the system of endings in the IE subjunctive active

    (Contribution to Mir Curad, a Festschrift for Calvert Watk...)

    1998

  • Die Grammatik der Partikeln

    (Contribution to Rekonstruktion und relative Chronologie.)

    1992

  • The IE s-aorist as an athematic denominative

    (Contribution to Ex Anatolia Lux, a Festschrift for C. Mel...)

    2010

  • heres, χρηωσταί: indogermanische Richtersprache

    (Contribution to a Festschrift for Henry Hoenigswald.)

    1987

  • A typology of metanalysis in Indo-European

    (Contribution to Studies in Memory of Warren Cowgill.)

    1987

  • Periphrastica homerhittitovedica

    (Contribution to a Festschrift for Oswald Szemerényi.)

    1993

  • Proto-Aryan *stríH- and PIE *sór- 'female, woman'

    (Contribution to a Festschrift for Stephanie Jamison.)

    2015

  • The IE Directive

    (Contribution to Früh-, Mittel-, Spätindogermanisch.)

    1994

  • IE *ko(m) 'with' and *nu(m) 'now': did IE have a facultative final nasal?

    (Contribution to Sarnikzel, studies commemorating E. O. Fo...)

    2004

  • Latin verbs in -īgare and -īgare

    (Contribution to 125 Jahre Indogermanistik in Graz.)

    2000

  • The common origin of conjunctive *-kʷe and of adverbial *-s

    (Contribution to a Festschrift for Johanna Narten.)

    2000

  • The deictic origin of the Greek κα-aorist and κα-perfect

    (Contribution to Indo-European Word Formation.)

    2004

  • Vedic janapadás and Ionic ἀνδράποδον. With notes on Vedic drupadám, IE *pédom ‘place’ and ‘fetter’

    (Contribution to Indo-European Perspectives.)

    2002

  • Old Latin orality seen through Indo-European lenses

    (Contribution to ScriptOralia Romana.)

    2001

  • Laryngeals and Particles: *u, *h₂u, and *awo

    (Contribution to Die Larygalthorie.)

    1988

• dissertation

  • Repetition and Deletion of Preverbs and Verbs in Early Indic and Greek

    (University of Pennsylvania doctoral dissertation examinin...)

    1976

• edited volume

  • Früh-, Mittel-, Spätindogermanisch: Akten der IX. Fachtagung der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft vom 5. bis 9. Oktober 1992 in Zürich

    (Edited conference proceedings prepared with Gisela Meyer,...)

    1994

• grammar

  • R̥gvedic family grammar

    (A 464-page grammar devoted to the language of the R̥gveda...)

    2022

• journal article

  • Preverb deletion in Indo-European?

    (Article published in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprach...)

    1978

  • πρόσω καὶ ὄπισσω

    (Article published in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprach...)

    1983

  • IE conjunctions: pleonasm, ablaut, suppletion

    (Article published in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprach...)

    1983

  • Āmredita and iteration of preverbs in Vedic and Hittite

    (Study published in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachfo...)

    1981

  • Further traces of preverbal āmredita in Greek and Latin

    (Study published in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachfo...)

    1981

  • Naming-parentheses in Indo-Iranian and Indo-European

    (Article published in Münchener Studien zur Sprachwissensc...)

    1982

  • Back to the future in Hittite

    (Article published in Münchener Studien zur Sprachwissensc...)

    1998

  • Pre-Latin *esom, Old Latin ESED

    (Article published in Münchener Studien zur Sprachwissensc...)

    1998

  • Preverb Repetition

    (Study published in Münchener Studien zur Sprachwissenscha...)

    1979

  • IE hortatory *éy, éyte: Ved. éta...staváma, Hitt. ehu=wa it, Hom. εἰ δ’ ἄγε

    (Study published in Münchener Studien zur Sprachwissenscha...)

    1985

  • Mycenaean kekemena, kitimena

    (Study of Mycenaean linguistic forms published in Minos 17.)

    1981

  • *woydo

    (Article published in American Journal of Philology 98.)

    1977

  • Fighting words: Alcman Partheneion 63 μάχονται

    (Study published in Journal of Indo-European Studies 7.)

    1979

  • Indogermanisch *át, vedisch áthā

    (Article published in Historische Sprachforschung 101.)

    1988

  • Conjunctive u and invariable sá in the Rgveda: questions of method

    (Article published in Indogermanische Forschungen 102.)

    1997

  • prae pavore, πρὸ φόβοι

    (Article published in Indogermanische Forschungen 95.)

    1990

  • Remarks on Rg-Vedic enjambement

    (Article published in Bulletin d’études indiennes 1.)

    1983

  • reciprocus und Verwandtes

    (Study published in Indogermanische Forschungen 84.)

    1979

  • IE *re ‘back, away’

    (Article published in Orientalia Suecana 51–52.)

    2003

  • Autour de á rig-védique

    (Article published in Indo-Iranian Journal 24.)

    1982

  • Early, middle, late Indo-European: doing it my way

    (Article published in Incontri linguistici 20.)

    1997

  • On the evidence for zero-grades of IE deictic/anaphoric *so- and *tó-: Homeric σφι, Hittite -šmaš, and Vedic syá-, tyá-, tvá-

    (Article published in General Linguistics 40.)

    2003

  • On the short vowel in the name ‘Ηρακλής’

    (Article published in Museum Helveticum 55.)

    1998

  • Remarks on code-switching in Cicero's Letters to Atticus

    (Article published in Museum Helveticum 57.)

    2000

  • Mycenaean and Central Greek

    (Comparative study published in Kadmos 20.)

    1981

  • The original syntax of conjunctive *-kʷe

    (Article published in Die Sprache 28.)

    1982

  • Nachgedanke zu 'Vater Himmels Gattin'

    (Article published in Die Sprache 35.)

    1993

  • Vater Himmels Gattin

    (Study published in Die Sprache 34.)

    1992

  • The relative stylistic orality of Plautus and Terence as measured by enjambment-types; with remarks on enjambment in Saturnians and Menander

    (Study published in Die Sprache 38.)

    1999

  • Lithuanian chips from an aptotologist's workshop

    (Study published in Baltistica 44.)

    2009

  • Ennian atque atque; prope

    (Article published in Glotta 58.)

    1980

  • ὕπτιος

    (Article published in Glotta 60.)

    1982

  • σύν, ξύν

    (Article published in Glotta 60.)

    1982

  • Two old problems in Greek: πτόλεμος and τερψίμβροτος

    (Article published in Glotta 70.)

    1993

• reference book

  • Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme I-II

    (Two-volume etymological lexicon of Indo-European particle...)

    2014

Views

Dunkel's scholarly philosophy gives comparative inquiry a central role in linguistic research. He argues that Indo-European particles and other indeclinable elements deserve systematic analysis rather than being treated as residual material left after roots, suffixes, and inflectional endings have been identified.

His approach combines close analysis of ancient texts with reconstruction of earlier linguistic stages. He has stressed the value of examining Greek dialect inscriptions, archaic poetry, Mycenaean, the Vedic texts, Hittite, and Latin together in order to identify relationships that may not be visible within a single language tradition.

Membership

Dunkel was associated with the Indogermanische Gesellschaft, an international scholarly organization devoted to comparative and historical Indo-European linguistics. He served on its Arbeitsausschuss from 1988 to 1996.

He also served on the advisory committee of the Perseus Project at Harvard University's Department of Classics from 1986 to 1989. The project applies digital methods to the preservation, annotation, and study of Greek, Latin, and other classical materials.

• Served on the Arbeitsausschuss.

  Indogermanische Gesellschaft , Germany

  1988 - 1996

• Served on the advisory committee of the Harvard University Department of Classics project.

  Perseus Project , United States

  1986 - 1989

Personality

Dunkel's academic profile presents him as an independent and comparative scholar. He has emphasized that important discoveries in Indo-European linguistics remain possible and has argued that increasing specialization can make comparative patterns less visible to specialists in individual languages.

Interests

• Industrial narrow gauge.

• Artists

  Watercolor.

• Sport & Clubs

  Frisbee.

• Music & Bands

  Guitar.

Connections

Dunkel married Carol Ann Vickers; their marriage ended in divorce on September 10, 1996. They had two children, Nikolai Gregory Dunkel and Timothy Constantine Dunkel.

He married Maya Birgit Asper on February 14, 1997. They had two children, Jana Aniuta Dunkel and Juri Frederick Dunkel. His parents were George Eugene Dunkel and Helen Ouroumoff Dunkel.

Father:

George Eugene Dunkel

Mother:

Helen Ouroumoff Dunkel

Spouse:

Carol Ann Vickers

Spouse:

Maya Birgit Asper

child:

Nikolai Gregory Dunkel

child:

Jana Aniuta Dunkel

child:

Timothy Constantine Dunkel

child:

Juri Frederick Dunkel

References

• University of Zurich profile of George E. Dunkel Institutional profile describing Dunkel's education, teaching career, research interests, philosophy of comparative Indo-European linguistics, and emeritus status.
  2023
• George Eugene Dunkel bibliography Bibliography documenting Dunkel's books, articles, reviews, edited volume, lectures, and other scholarly contributions.
  2015
• About the Authors: George Eugene Dunkel Author biography describing Dunkel's teaching at Johns Hopkins and Princeton, his chairmanship at the University of Zurich, and his major works.
  2021
• R̥gvedic family grammar catalog record Bibliographic record identifying Dunkel as author of R̥gvedic family grammar, published by the Institute of Linguistics of the University of Innsbruck.
  2022