Hermann Paul facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hermann Paul
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| Born | 7 August 1846 Magdeburg, Germany
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| Died | 29 December 1921 (aged 75) Munich, Germany
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| Nationality | German |
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Hermann Otto Theodor Paul (born August 7, 1846, in Salbke, died December 29, 1921, in Munich) was a famous German expert in languages. He was a philologist, which means he studied languages and old texts. He was also a linguist, someone who studies how language works, and a lexicographer, who creates dictionaries.
Life and Career
Hermann Paul went to university in Berlin and Leipzig. In 1874, he became a professor at the University of Freiburg. There, he taught about the German language and literature.
Later, in 1893, he became a professor of German philology at the University of Munich. He was a very important member of a group of linguists called the Neogrammarians. This group believed that language changes happen in a very regular way.
Key Ideas and Works
Hermann Paul wrote many important books about language. His most famous work is Prinzipien der Sprachgeschichte, which means Principles of the History of Language. The first edition came out in 1880. This book was later translated into English.
Paul had an interesting idea about how sentences are formed. He believed that sentences are made up of individual parts that connect one after another. It's like building a chain link by link.
However, another famous scholar named Wilhelm Wundt disagreed with him. Wundt thought that a sentence starts as a complete idea in your mind. Then, this complete thought is broken down into smaller, sequential parts when you speak or write it.
Paul also wrote other important books, including:
- Gab es eine mittelhochdeutsche Schriftsprache? (1873) – This asked if there was a standard written language in Middle High German.
- Mittelhochdeutsche Grammatik (1881) – This was a grammar book for Middle High German, which is an older form of German. It has been printed many times.
- Grundriss der germanischen Philologie (1891-93) – He edited this large outline of German philology.
After 1874, Paul and Wilhelm Braune worked together to edit a journal. This journal was called Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur. It published articles about the history of the German language and its literature.
Not to Be Confused With
Sometimes, people have the same name, which can be confusing! Hermann Paul is not the same person as:
- Herman Daniel Paul (1827–1885): He was a German who moved to Finland. He taught languages and wrote about music. He also translated the Finnish national story, Kalevala, into German.
- Hermann Paul (1902–1944): He was a Hungarian musician.
See also
In Spanish: Hermann Paul para niños
- Rudolf Much
