Hermann Gundert

Rev. Dr. Hermann Gundert (b. february 4, 1814,Stuttgart, Germany ? d. April 25, 1893;) was a German missionary, whose greatest achievements include the compilation of the Malayalam grammmer book Malayalabhaasha Vyakaranam (1868) and the first Malayalam-English dictionary (1872) and the translation of the bible into the malayalam language. He worked primarily in Malabar coast, South India, in what is today called as Kerala.

Related Topics:
February 4 - 1814 - Stuttgart - Germany - April 25 - 1893 - Malayalam - Malayalabhaasha Vyakaranam - 1868 - English - 1872 - Bible - Malabar - South India - Kerala

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Hermann Gundert obtained a doctoral degree from Tubingen. In Kerala, he took a deep interest in the local culture and the Malayalam language, attempting a systematic grammar of the language for the first time. This was one of the prominent non-Sanskrit-based approaches to Indic grammar. Gundert is held in high regard to this day, among lingusitic experts in Kerala, for the high scholastic aptitude exhibited in his work. He published two Malayalam journals, of which Rajya Samacharam is considered to be the first newspaper in Kerala.

Related Topics:
Tubingen - Sanskrit - Rajya Samacharam

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He was the grandfather of Hermann Hesse, German novelist and Nobel Laureate.

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