Alexander Hamilton (linguist)
Encyclopedia
Alexander Hamilton was a British linguist who was one of the first Europeans to study the Sanskrit
language. He taught the language to most of the earliest European scholars of Indo-European linguistics.
Hamilton was the first cousin of his namesake, the American statesman Alexander Hamilton
. He became a lieutenant in the navy of the East India Company
. While stationed in India he joined the Asiatic Society of Bengal founded by William Jones
and Charles Wilkins
. He also married a Bengali woman. After the death of Jones in India, Wilkins and Hamilton were the only Europeans who had studied Sanskrit. Both returned to Europe. Wilkins remained in England, but Hamilton went to France to collate Sanskrit manuscripts held at the Biblioteque Nationale in Paris. He assisted Wilkins with his revisions to his translation of the Hitopadesha
.
After war broke out between Britain and France in 1803 Hamilton was interned as an enemy alien, but was released to carry on his researches at the insistence of the French scholar Constantine Volney
. Hamilton taught Sanskrit to Volney and others, including Friedrich Schlegel and Jean-Louis Burnouf, the father of Eugene Burnouf
.
In 1813, Hamilton completed his catalogue of the Biblioteque Nationale manuscripts. Following the end of the Napoleonic wars
many German scholars came to study with him, notably Franz Bopp
and August Wilhelm Schlegel.
Hamilton later returned to London where he held a professorship of Sanskrit and Indian languages.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
language. He taught the language to most of the earliest European scholars of Indo-European linguistics.
Hamilton was the first cousin of his namesake, the American statesman Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
. He became a lieutenant in the navy of the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. While stationed in India he joined the Asiatic Society of Bengal founded by William Jones
William Jones (philologist)
Sir William Jones was an English philologist and scholar of ancient India, particularly known for his proposition of the existence of a relationship among Indo-European languages...
and Charles Wilkins
Charles Wilkins
Sir Charles Wilkins, KH, FRS , was an English typographer and Orientalist, notable as the first translator of Bhagavad Gita into English, and as the creator of the first Devanagari typeface....
. He also married a Bengali woman. After the death of Jones in India, Wilkins and Hamilton were the only Europeans who had studied Sanskrit. Both returned to Europe. Wilkins remained in England, but Hamilton went to France to collate Sanskrit manuscripts held at the Biblioteque Nationale in Paris. He assisted Wilkins with his revisions to his translation of the Hitopadesha
Hitopadesha
Hitopadesha is a collection of Sanskrit fables in prose and verse written in the 12 century C.E. It is an independent treatment of the Panchatantra...
.
After war broke out between Britain and France in 1803 Hamilton was interned as an enemy alien, but was released to carry on his researches at the insistence of the French scholar Constantine Volney
Constantin-François Chassebœuf
Constantin François de Chassebœuf, comte de Volney was a French philosopher, historian, orientalist, and politician...
. Hamilton taught Sanskrit to Volney and others, including Friedrich Schlegel and Jean-Louis Burnouf, the father of Eugene Burnouf
Eugène Burnouf
Eugène Burnouf was an eminent French scholar and orientalist who made significant contributions to the deciphering of Old Persian cuneiform....
.
In 1813, Hamilton completed his catalogue of the Biblioteque Nationale manuscripts. Following the end of the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
many German scholars came to study with him, notably Franz Bopp
Franz Bopp
Franz Bopp was a German linguist known for extensive comparative work on Indo-European languages.-Biography:...
and August Wilhelm Schlegel.
Hamilton later returned to London where he held a professorship of Sanskrit and Indian languages.