Johann Joseph Hoffmann
Encyclopedia
Johann Joseph Hoffmann was a noted German
scholar who studied the Japanese
and Chinese language
s.
. After studying at Würzburg, he went on the stage in 1825; but owing to an accidental meeting with the German traveller, Philipp Franz von Siebold
(1796-1866), in July 1830, his interest was diverted to Oriental philology
. From Siebold he acquired the rudiments of Japanese
, and in order to take advantage of the instructions of Ko-ching-chang, a Chinese
teacher whom Siebold had brought home with him, he made himself acquainted with Malay
, the only language except Chinese which Ko-ching-chang could understand.
In a few years he was able to supply the translations for Siebold's Nippon, and the high character of his work soon attracted the attention of older scholars. Stanislas Julien
invited him to Paris
, and he would probably have accepted the invitation, as a disagreement had broken out between him and Siebold, had not M. Baud, the Dutch colonial minister, appointed him Japanese translator with a salary of 1800 forms (£150).
, that the authorities made him professor at Leiden and the king allowed him a yearly pension. In 1875 he was decorated with the order of the Netherlands Lion, and in 1877 he was elected corresponding member of the Berlin Academy. He died at the Hague on the 23rd of January 1878.
Hoffmann's chief work was his unfinished Japanese Dictionary begun in 1839 and afterwards continued by L. Serrurier. Unable at first to procure the necessary type, he set himself to the cutting of punches, and even when the proper founts were obtained he had to act as his own compositor as far as Chinese and Japanese were concerned. His Japanese grammar (Japanische Sprechlehre) was published in Dutch and English in 1867, and in English and German in 1876.
Of his miscellaneous productions it is enough to mention: “Japans Bezüge mit der koraischen Halbinsel und mit Schina,” in Nippon, vii.; Yo-San-fi-Ro, L'Art d'élever les vers à soie an Japon par Ouckaki Mounikouni (Paris, 1848); “Die Heilkunde in Japan” in Mittheil. d. deutsch. Gesellsch. für Natur- und Völkerk. Ost-Asien (1873-1874); and Japanische Studien (1878).
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
scholar who studied the Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
s.
Biography
He was born at WürzburgWürzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
. After studying at Würzburg, he went on the stage in 1825; but owing to an accidental meeting with the German traveller, Philipp Franz von Siebold
Philipp Franz von Siebold
Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold was a German physician and traveller. He was the first European to teach Western medicine in Japan...
(1796-1866), in July 1830, his interest was diverted to Oriental philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
. From Siebold he acquired the rudiments of Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, and in order to take advantage of the instructions of Ko-ching-chang, a Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
teacher whom Siebold had brought home with him, he made himself acquainted with Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, the only language except Chinese which Ko-ching-chang could understand.
In a few years he was able to supply the translations for Siebold's Nippon, and the high character of his work soon attracted the attention of older scholars. Stanislas Julien
Stanislas Julien
Stanislas Aignan Julien was a French sinologist.-Biography:Born at Orléans, he studied the classics at the Collège de France, and in 1821 was appointed assistant professor of Greek. In the same year he published an edition of The Rape of Helen of Coluthus, with versions in French, Latin, English,...
invited him to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and he would probably have accepted the invitation, as a disagreement had broken out between him and Siebold, had not M. Baud, the Dutch colonial minister, appointed him Japanese translator with a salary of 1800 forms (£150).
Works
The Dutch authorities were slow in giving him further recognition; and he was too modest a man successfully to urge his claims. It was not till after he had received the offer of the professorship of Chinese in King's College LondonKing'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...
, that the authorities made him professor at Leiden and the king allowed him a yearly pension. In 1875 he was decorated with the order of the Netherlands Lion, and in 1877 he was elected corresponding member of the Berlin Academy. He died at the Hague on the 23rd of January 1878.
Hoffmann's chief work was his unfinished Japanese Dictionary begun in 1839 and afterwards continued by L. Serrurier. Unable at first to procure the necessary type, he set himself to the cutting of punches, and even when the proper founts were obtained he had to act as his own compositor as far as Chinese and Japanese were concerned. His Japanese grammar (Japanische Sprechlehre) was published in Dutch and English in 1867, and in English and German in 1876.
Of his miscellaneous productions it is enough to mention: “Japans Bezüge mit der koraischen Halbinsel und mit Schina,” in Nippon, vii.; Yo-San-fi-Ro, L'Art d'élever les vers à soie an Japon par Ouckaki Mounikouni (Paris, 1848); “Die Heilkunde in Japan” in Mittheil. d. deutsch. Gesellsch. für Natur- und Völkerk. Ost-Asien (1873-1874); and Japanische Studien (1878).