Alexandru I. Philippide (; May 1, 1859 – August 12, 1933) was a Romanian linguist and philologist. Educated in Iași and Halle, he taught high school for several years until 1893, when he secured a professorship at the University of Iași that he would hold until his death forty years later. He began publishing books on the Romanian language around the time he graduated from university, but it was not until he became a professor that he drew wider attention, thanks to a study of the language's history. While not particularly ideological, he penned sharp, witty polemics directed at various intellectual figures, both at home and, in one noted case, in the German Empire. As a conservative who rallied with the Junimea club, Philippide rejected didactic art and mocked its socialist patrons—though his own work had hints of socialist humanitarianism.
In 1898, Philippide began work on a Romanian dictionary; by 1906, he and his team had completed the first four letters of the alphabet before others took over the task. His advocacy of phonetic spelling was cherished by a group of writers and activists which put out Viața Românească magazine; they also shared Philippide's Germanophilia, which manifested itself in particular during the political debates that preceded Romania's entry into World War I. Unlike the other Germanophiles, Philippide spent the second half of the war at Iași, which, following a series of major defeats, endured as the capital of a rump Romanian state. His major work, which appeared in two hefty volumes in 1925 and 1928, brings together a wide range of ancient sources and linguistic evidence to analyze the ethnogenesis of the Romanians and the development of their language. Although attacked for parochialism by one set of academics, the students he trained carried forth his ideas by forming the core of an Iași-based linguistic school.
Biography
Origins and early career Philippide was born in Bârlad, Tutova County, Western Moldavia;Arvinte, p. 13 this region is coterminous the autonomous state of Moldavia, which had joined the United Principalities during the close of 1858, shortly ahead of the linguist's birth. His father Iancu was deputy prefect of a plasă during the reign of Alexandru Ion Cuza, and owned land at Cerțești, a village to the south.Rădulescu, p. 88 Philippide was of Greek origin on his father's side, the family originating in Milies, a village at the foot of Mount Pelion in Thessaly. His great-grandfather's brother Daniel Philippidis, a historian and geographer, had settled in Iași at the turn of the 19th century. Gabriela Ursachi, "Aprilie", in România Literară, Issue 16/2005 His family origins were a source of pride, even in old age: asked by Nicolae Bănescu if he was of Aromanian background, the linguist replied, "no, no, we're entirely Greek!"Șova, p. 65
Alexandru attended primary school (1866–1870) and Gheorghe Roșca Codreanu High School (1870–1877), both in his native city. "Un who's who bârlădean", pp. 8–9, at the Bârlad City Hall site After taking his baccalaureate in May 1878, he enrolled in the University of Iași, earning his degree, "with top honors",D. Ivănescu, "Arhiva Convorbirilor. Al. Philippide, ", in Convorbiri Literare, Vol. LXXXIX, Issue 7, July 1983, p. 10 in 1881. Pursuing specialized study at the University of Halle-Wittenberg from 1888 to 1890, he took courses in classical and modern philology, archaeology and the history of Greek philosophy. "Alexandru Philippide" at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University site While there, he met Eduard Sievers, Heinrich Keil and Hermann Suchier, becoming close friends with the latter.Șova, p. 66 A librarian at the Central University Library of Iași from 1881 to 1884, he subsequently taught at the city's National College. He was hired there to fill a vacancy caused by the death of an admired teacher, Alexandru Lambrior,Șova, pp. 65–66 having received good referrals from the university, which managed the school.
Returning to teach high school after his German stint, Philippide stirred controversy as a flamboyant, unortohodox educator, relying on oratory and reading his students samples from Moftul Român, a satirical magazine.Paul Zarifopol, "Alexandru Philippide", in Adevărul Literar și Artistic, Issue 663, August 1933, p. 1 His final class included several who became figures of importance in 20th-century Romania: political activist Leon Ghelerter, journalist Emil Fagure, novelist Dimitrie D. Pătrășcanu, poet Avram Steuerman-Rodion, and an advice columnist, Doctor Ygrec. The latter recalled that Philippide, a "tiny, minuscule man", would reach greatness whenever he recited the poetry of Mihai Eminescu, managing to stir in all of them the passion for high literature.Doctorul Ygrec, "Carnetul nostru. Profesorul meu de română: Al. Philippide", in Adevărul, August 17, 1933, p. 1
Philippide ultimately became a professor at the literature faculty in Iași in 1893, retaining the post until his death.Arvinte, p. 13; Boia, p. 278 He was initially a substitute professor in the newly created department, rising to full professor in 1896. A Neogrammarian, he taught courses on the history of the Romanian language, general linguistics, Vulgar Latin, the physiology of the human voice and the origin of the Romanians.Arvinte, p. 13; Pamfil 2008, p. 212 The initiator of an original theory of linguistics, this was developed and augmented by his student Gheorghe Ivănescu.Arvinte, pp. 13–14 His books, studies and articles total some 4000 pages, while his course materials number another 1500.Pamfil 1992, p. 297 The latter, in which he traced the history of the Romanian language, complemented his published work. It was where he tested new ideas and drafted outlines for the full-length Originea românilor.Pamfil 2008, pp. 211-212 He was additionally interested in observing archeological research, especially in regard to the newly discovered Cucuteni–Trypillia culture, and encouraged Orest Tafrali to set up Iași's history museum.
Debut years An early work by Philippide was the 1881 Încercare asupra stării sociale a poporului românesc în trecut ("Investigation into the Social Status of the Romanian People in the Past"), which attempted to trace the origins of Romanian culture. In 1882, Philippide undertook a thorough linguistic analysis to demonstrate that the Chronicle of Huru, a purported 13th-century document, was in fact a modern forgery.Lucian Dumbravă, "Ecouri. Convorbiri — 1882", in Convorbiri Literare, November 1982, p. 12Pavel, pp. 31–32 The piece was carried in Convorbiri Literare magazine, published by Junimea society; philologist Lucian Dumbravă sees here the core elements of his scholarship ("he is learned, thorough, authoritative [and] markedly ironic"). Philippide then authored ("Introduction to the History of Romanian Language and Literature") in 1888 and Gramatică elementară a limbii române ("Elementary Grammar of the Romanian Language") in 1897. This was at a time when domestic scientifically composed textbooks were in scarce supply. The first work, after presenting the author's ideas on literary history, goes on to provide biographical sketches of Romanian literary figures from the 16th-century Coresi through 1821. Philippide believed that a satisfactory history of Romanian literature did not exist, and set out to correct this deficiency;Ichim, pp. 58–59 according to philologist Eugen Negrici, his coverage of literary matters was below minimal, contrasting later approaches by Nicolae Cartojan (who claimed to have discovered an "old literature").Negrici, pp. 226–232 Beginning on this basis,Dragomir, p. 19 Philippide grappled with the issue of the literary language, which he termed the "common language". Observing that Romanian had not yet developed a firm standard, he both suggested a theory of language evolution and steps to be taken toward standardization.Dragomir, p. 17 However, he rejected wholesale attempts to create a new variant, which he accused Heimann Hariton Tiktin of doing prematurely.Dragomir, pp. 19–20 He ascribed overarching importance in the creation and evolution of literary languages to popular writers.
The second work, targeted at a specialist audience,Brâncuș, p. 25 was not intended as a textbook but as a means to show Romanian grammar as it existed in reality; this was in contrast with Tiktin's 1891 teaching manual. Philippide discussed words selected from the dictionary by Alexandru Cihac, the only one he found respectable; and from writers, Moldavians especially: Ion Creangă foremost, but also Eminescu, Alexandru Odobescu, Costache Negruzzi, Petre Ispirescu, Costache Conachi and Vasile Alecsandri; and from the Moldavian chronicles, as well as a bit of Anton Pann. The book features many examples of the spoken language, some of them in the Moldavian subdialect. He believed the examples would help illustrate the development of the language's inflection and syntax;Brâncuș, p. 19 this methodology is unique in the annals of Romanian grammar works. Here, he introduced the (debated) notion that the Romanian literary language was not based on a particular subdialect, but resulted from each one's contributions. While the Wallachian form was previously dominant, the increasing output of Moldavian writers meant that, by the end of the 19th century, the written language had become a compromise between the two.Pavel, pp. 38–39
It was an 1894 history of the language that put him on the academic map. Although modeled on Hermann Paul's Principles of the History of Language, it was original in scope, discussing the distinction between literary and spoken language, the causes of linguistic change, the processes that lead to literary language formation and the relation between language and orthography. In his writing, he insisted on phonetic spelling, a principle that arose not only out of his linguistic theory, but also from his study of anthropology, which led him to believe that "naturalness" should lie at the heart of language, as well as morality, society and art.Patraș, p. 84 However, he made one significant exception to the phonetic rule: his own surname. When asked on this point, he joked that he wished to show he had the same name as Alexander the Great, "who was himself Alexandru Philippide, that is, Alexander, son of Philip."
Philippide married twice. As a bachelor, he sought a German bride, having become convinced during his Halle days that a German woman would be ideal for him.Nastasă, p. 63 His first wife, Johanna Minckwitz, had a doctorate in Romance philology and was the daughter of a Zürich professor. The marriage took place in a civil ceremony at Saint Helier on Jersey in early October 1895.Nastasă, pp. 63, 87 Although initially delighted with his new wife, the relationship soured due to the presence of Philippide's mother-in-law in his house. During one heated argument, he handled an axe and Johanna took her mother's side. Eventually, the two women returned to Switzerland and the marriage ended in divorce. Johanna continued to be interested in Romanian literature, and put out her own study of Eminescu's poetry.Bădară, p. 47 She and Philippide reportedly had a child, although details have not survived.Nastasă, p. 71