Fitzedward Hall
Encyclopedia
Fitzedward Hall American
Orientalist
, was born in Troy, New York
.
He graduated with the degree of civil engineer from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
at Troy in 1842, and entered Harvard
in the class of 1846; just before his class graduated he left college and went to India
in search of a runaway brother. In January 1850 he was appointed tutor, and in 1853 professor of Sanskrit
and English, in the government college at Benares; and in 1855 was made inspector of public instruction in Ajmere-Merwara and in 1856 in the Central Provinces.
He settled in England in 1862 and received the appointment to the chair of Sanskrit, Hindustani and Indian jurisprudence
in King's College London
, and to the librarianship of the India Office. Hall was the first American to edit a Sanskrit text, the Vishnupurana; his library of a thousand Oriental manuscripts he gave to Harvard University.
His works include:
, which unjustly accused him of being a drunk and a foreign spy, and expelled from the Philological Society
.
He then moved to Suffolk where, while leading the life of a recluse, he published more philological work. W. W. Skeat, an early supporter of the OED idea, persuaded him to collaborate as a reader for the project. With another US citizen, Dr.William Chester Minor
, he would become one of the most important (and most obsessive) collaborators the OED Project’s director Sir James Murray
(1837–1915) had, and is recognized as such in many of the prefaces to the Dictionary itself. His task was to read certain books looking for examples of the use of particular words, and then to send the relevant quotations to Murray’s staff.
According to scholar Elizabeth Knowles, who studied the Murray-Hall correspondence in the OED archives, Hall spent 'four hours a day...on proofs' and that 'for much of the rest of the time, he was reading for vocabulary'. Once he supplied more than 200 examples of the use of the word “hand” and had to be told that there was no space for so many.
Murray himself would say that “Time would fail to tell of the splendid assistance rendered to the Dictionary by Dr. Fitzedward Hall, who devotes nearly his whole day to reading the proofs...and to supplementing, correcting, and increasing the quotations taken from his own exhaustless stores. When the Dictionary is finished, no man will have contributed to its illustrative wealth so much as Fitzedward Hall. Those who know his books know the enormous wealth of quotation which he brings to bear upon every point of English literary usage; but my admiration is if possible increased when I see how he can cap and put the cope-stone on the collections of our 1500 readers.“
Hall was best at supplementing existing quotation collections for particular words. After his death, Murray corresponded with Hall’s son to try to find and reference the supplies of quotations his father had noted but not submitted, with unclear results.
Fitzedward Hall died at Marlesford
, Suffolk, on the 1st of February 1901.
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United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
, was born in Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
.
He graduated with the degree of civil engineer from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
at Troy in 1842, and entered Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in the class of 1846; just before his class graduated he left college and went to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in search of a runaway brother. In January 1850 he was appointed tutor, and in 1853 professor of Sanskrit
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...
and English, in the government college at Benares; and in 1855 was made inspector of public instruction in Ajmere-Merwara and in 1856 in the Central Provinces.
He settled in England in 1862 and received the appointment to the chair of Sanskrit, Hindustani and Indian jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
in King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, and to the librarianship of the India Office. Hall was the first American to edit a Sanskrit text, the Vishnupurana; his library of a thousand Oriental manuscripts he gave to Harvard University.
His works include:
- in Sanskrit
- Atmabodha (1852)
- Sankhyapravachana (1856)
- Saryasiddhanta (1859)
- Vsavadatt (1859)
- Sankhyasara (1862)
- Dasarupa (1865)
- in Hindi
- Ballantyne's Hindi Grammar (1868)
- a Reader (1870)
- on English philology
- Recent Exemplifications of False Philology (1872), attacking Richard Grant WhiteRichard Grant WhiteRichard Grant White was one of the foremost literary and musical critics of his day. He was also a prominent Shakespearen scholar, journalist, social critic, and lawyer who was born and died in New York USA.-Biography:...
, Modern English (1873) - "On English Adjectives in -able, with Special Reference to Reliable" (Am. Jour. Philology, 1877)
- Doctor Indoctus (1880).
- Recent Exemplifications of False Philology (1872), attacking Richard Grant White
Hall and the Oxford English Dictionary
In 1869 Hall was dismissed by the India OfficeIndia Office
The India Office was a British government department created in 1858 to oversee the colonial administration of India, i.e. the modern-day nations of Bangladesh, Burma, India, and Pakistan, as well as territories in South-east and Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of the east coast of Africa...
, which unjustly accused him of being a drunk and a foreign spy, and expelled from the Philological Society
Philological Society
The Philological Society, or London Philological Society, is the oldest learned society in Great Britain dedicated to the study of language. The society was established in 1842 to "investigate and promote the study and knowledge of the structure, the affinities, and the history of languages"...
.
He then moved to Suffolk where, while leading the life of a recluse, he published more philological work. W. W. Skeat, an early supporter of the OED idea, persuaded him to collaborate as a reader for the project. With another US citizen, Dr.William Chester Minor
William Chester Minor
William Chester Minor, also known as W. C. Minor was an American army surgeon who, later, was one of the largest contributors of quotations to the Oxford English Dictionary...
, he would become one of the most important (and most obsessive) collaborators the OED Project’s director Sir James Murray
James Murray (lexicographer)
Sir James Augustus Henry Murray was a Scottish lexicographer and philologist. He was the primary editor of the Oxford English Dictionary from 1879 until his death.-Life and learning:...
(1837–1915) had, and is recognized as such in many of the prefaces to the Dictionary itself. His task was to read certain books looking for examples of the use of particular words, and then to send the relevant quotations to Murray’s staff.
According to scholar Elizabeth Knowles, who studied the Murray-Hall correspondence in the OED archives, Hall spent 'four hours a day...on proofs' and that 'for much of the rest of the time, he was reading for vocabulary'. Once he supplied more than 200 examples of the use of the word “hand” and had to be told that there was no space for so many.
Murray himself would say that “Time would fail to tell of the splendid assistance rendered to the Dictionary by Dr. Fitzedward Hall, who devotes nearly his whole day to reading the proofs...and to supplementing, correcting, and increasing the quotations taken from his own exhaustless stores. When the Dictionary is finished, no man will have contributed to its illustrative wealth so much as Fitzedward Hall. Those who know his books know the enormous wealth of quotation which he brings to bear upon every point of English literary usage; but my admiration is if possible increased when I see how he can cap and put the cope-stone on the collections of our 1500 readers.“
Hall was best at supplementing existing quotation collections for particular words. After his death, Murray corresponded with Hall’s son to try to find and reference the supplies of quotations his father had noted but not submitted, with unclear results.
Fitzedward Hall died at Marlesford
Marlesford
Marlesford is a village and a civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District, in the English county of Suffolk.- Location :It is about 2 miles away from the small town of Wickham Market. Marlesford has a place of worship and a pub. The area of the village that is on the A12 road is due to be...
, Suffolk, on the 1st of February 1901.
External references
- Examining the OED: Individuals from Charlotte Brewer, Examining the OED accessed on August 8, 2008
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