Hrachia Acharian
Hrachia Acharian (Armenian: Հրաչեայ Աճառեան, reformed spelling: Հրաչյա Աճառյան Armenian pronunciation: [həɾɑt͡ʃʰˈjɑ ɑt͡ʃɑrˈjɑn]; 8 March 1876 – 16 April 1953) was an Armenian linguist, lexicographer, etymologist, and philologist.
Hrachia Acharian | |
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| Born | 20 March [O.S. 8 March] 1876 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 16 April 1953 (aged 77) Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Armenian |
| Education | University of Paris University of Strasbourg |
| Occupation(s) | Linguist, educator |
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An Istanbul Armenian, Acharian studied at local Armenian schools and at the Sorbonne, under Antoine Meillet, and the University of Strasbourg, under Heinrich Hübschmann. He then taught in various Armenian communities in the Russian Empire and Iran before settling in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1923, working at Yerevan State University until his death.
A polyglot, Acharian compiled several major dictionaries, including the monumental Armenian Etymological Dictionary, extensively studied Armenian dialects, compiled catalogs of Armenian manuscripts, and authored comprehensive studies on the history of Armenian language and alphabet. Acharian is considered the father of Armenian linguistics.