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Nicolaas van Wijk
Nicolaas van Wijk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈnikoːlaːs fɑɱ ˈʋɛik]; 4 October 1880 – 25 March 1941) was a Dutch linguist, literary scholar, and philanthropist. He is best known for his contributions to Slavistics, serving as the first chair of the Balto-Slavic languages at Leiden University from 1913 until his death in 1941.
Born to a family of Dutch Reformed preachers, Van Wijk began his academic life studying Dutch literature before becoming involved in comparative and historical linguistics. After receiving his doctorate from the University of Amsterdam, he secured a grant to work at Leipzig University and traveled to Russia to study the language there, where he became enthralled by Russian literature. He was then hired as a curator and deputy librarian at the Royal Library of the Netherlands before being hired as a professor at Leiden University. His publications led to him being selected for the newly-created chair of Balto-Slavic languages, which was controversial as many prominent scholars in Russia disapproved. Following his appointment, he began a trip across Eastern Europe in order to acquire books in his fields for the university's library and establish contacts in academia there.
Beginning shortly after the outbreak of World War I until his death during World War II, Van Wijk was a noted philanthropist. He had allowed several people from Eastern Europe to stay with him in the Netherlands as they escaped war and persecution, including Polish Jews and Russian dissidents of communism. In 1915, he traveled to Poland to oversee the application of aid provided from the Netherlands. His contacts with Eastern Europeans led to his being suspected by the Dutch government of being a communist, though in reality Van Wijk was a harsh critic of communism. Following his death, his personal library, which comprised around 7,000 books, was donated to the Leiden University Library.
Nicolaas van Wijk was born on 4 October 1880 in Delden, the only son of Aart Willem van Wijk, a liberal minister in the Dutch Reformed Church from Weesp, and Bregitta (née Bruin), the daughter of Weesp's burgemeester. The youngest of five, Aart and both of his brothers – Pieter and Nico – were all Reformed ministers, as was their father for whom Nicolaas was named. On 30 October, Nicolaas was baptized.
The family moved to Zwolle in 1886 following Aart's assignment as the new minister; Nicolaas shortly thereafter attended the local nutsschool. Following a successful entrance exam, he began schooling at the Zwolle Gymnasium in 1892. During his time at the gymnasium, Van Wijk studied Dutch and geography under the tutelage of Foeke Buitenrust Hettema, a Frisian linguist who taught Dutch from a descriptivist and scientific lens and was a key figure in the modernizing linguistic education. Known for his "unbridled energy and pig-headedness" in teaching this way – for which he was reprimanded by the scholastic board – he remained an important influence, correspondent, and confidant after Van Wijk's graduation. Van Wijk and his classmate Leo Polak became good friends and intellectual rivals. Van Wijk was a model student with exceptionally high marks in Dutch history, Latin, Ancient Greek, and Hebrew, although he struggled in High German. He struggled similarly in mathematics, but by the end of his schooling he had earned the highest score during the graduating exams. After completing gymnasium in 1898, Van Wijk began studying Dutch literature at the University of Amsterdam.
On 3 October, Van Wijk moved to Kloveniersburgwal and began studying under H. C. Rogge, C. M. Kan, and Jan te Winkel in history, geography, and Netherlandistics, respectively. Kan was particularly impressed with Van Wijk's work, writing that he had "given ample proof of serious study, insight and the gift of expressing himself clearly and succinctly." Van Wijk had made an impression with another professor, C. C. Uhlenbeck, then employed by the university as a buitengewoon hoogleraar though the following year he was promoted to a full professorship. Van Wijk recounted during his inaugural lecture in 1913: "From the first day that I heard a Wulfila lecture I have worked under your influence." He met Van Wijk regularly on Saturday afternoons to teach him Sanskrit. Following Uhlenbeck's departure from the university, his professorship was filled by his colleague R. C. Boer. During this period, Van Wijk kept a remarkably low profile; it is likely that he was an attendee of the Jacob van Maelant Association, a student's association for Dutch literature, but – outside of one essay lecture he gave on Völuspá, a poem in the Poetic Edda, in 1900 which ended in a debate with David Wijnkoop – he does not appear to have had any appreciable role in the association. It is possible that he assisted in inviting guest speakers for the Literarische Studenten-Vereeniging ('Literary Students Union'), a student organization for classicists and Netherlandicists.
After passing his doctoraal exam – granting him the equivalent of a master's degree – in May 1901, Van Wijk returned to Zwolle on 7 October to begin writing his doctoral dissertation. Around this time, Van Wijk began taking steps to choose comparative linguistics as his topic of study. On 24 November, he sent a letter to Wilhelm Streitberg, editor of the academic journal Indogermanische Forschungen ('Indo-European Research'), requesting his article be published; he wrote that Uhlenbeck had urged him to send the article for publication after reviewing it himself. It is unknown what Streitberg's reply was, but the article – entitled Über die ursprüngliche Stammgestalt der idg. sogenannten i- und u-Stämme ('On the Original Stem Form of the So-Called IE *i- and *u-Stems') – was not published.
In 1902, after receiving a grant from the Amsterdamse Universiteitsvereniging ('University of Amsterdam Association'), Van Wijk completed his doctoral dissertation, Der nominale Genitiv Singular im Indogermanischen in seinem Verhältnis zum Nominativ ('The Nominal Genitive Singular in Indo-European in its Relationship to the Nominative'). Van Wijk argued that certain nominative and genitive singular forms, such as in Latin ops and opis, arose from a common origin. Although it was initially met with skepticism, the paper was considered bold and received renewed interest several decades later. Van Wijk, however, later distanced himself from the dissertation, writing ten years later: "I asserted a great deal in my own dissertation which, on further reflection, appears to me all too fantastical and which I have increasingly come to regret". Still, the dissertation had its supporters; Jacobus van Ginneken, another of Uhlenbeck's doctoral students, wrote about Uhlenbeck's reaction to it thus:
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Nicolaas van Wijk
Nicolaas van Wijk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈnikoːlaːs fɑɱ ˈʋɛik]; 4 October 1880 – 25 March 1941) was a Dutch linguist, literary scholar, and philanthropist. He is best known for his contributions to Slavistics, serving as the first chair of the Balto-Slavic languages at Leiden University from 1913 until his death in 1941.
Born to a family of Dutch Reformed preachers, Van Wijk began his academic life studying Dutch literature before becoming involved in comparative and historical linguistics. After receiving his doctorate from the University of Amsterdam, he secured a grant to work at Leipzig University and traveled to Russia to study the language there, where he became enthralled by Russian literature. He was then hired as a curator and deputy librarian at the Royal Library of the Netherlands before being hired as a professor at Leiden University. His publications led to him being selected for the newly-created chair of Balto-Slavic languages, which was controversial as many prominent scholars in Russia disapproved. Following his appointment, he began a trip across Eastern Europe in order to acquire books in his fields for the university's library and establish contacts in academia there.
Beginning shortly after the outbreak of World War I until his death during World War II, Van Wijk was a noted philanthropist. He had allowed several people from Eastern Europe to stay with him in the Netherlands as they escaped war and persecution, including Polish Jews and Russian dissidents of communism. In 1915, he traveled to Poland to oversee the application of aid provided from the Netherlands. His contacts with Eastern Europeans led to his being suspected by the Dutch government of being a communist, though in reality Van Wijk was a harsh critic of communism. Following his death, his personal library, which comprised around 7,000 books, was donated to the Leiden University Library.
Nicolaas van Wijk was born on 4 October 1880 in Delden, the only son of Aart Willem van Wijk, a liberal minister in the Dutch Reformed Church from Weesp, and Bregitta (née Bruin), the daughter of Weesp's burgemeester. The youngest of five, Aart and both of his brothers – Pieter and Nico – were all Reformed ministers, as was their father for whom Nicolaas was named. On 30 October, Nicolaas was baptized.
The family moved to Zwolle in 1886 following Aart's assignment as the new minister; Nicolaas shortly thereafter attended the local nutsschool. Following a successful entrance exam, he began schooling at the Zwolle Gymnasium in 1892. During his time at the gymnasium, Van Wijk studied Dutch and geography under the tutelage of Foeke Buitenrust Hettema, a Frisian linguist who taught Dutch from a descriptivist and scientific lens and was a key figure in the modernizing linguistic education. Known for his "unbridled energy and pig-headedness" in teaching this way – for which he was reprimanded by the scholastic board – he remained an important influence, correspondent, and confidant after Van Wijk's graduation. Van Wijk and his classmate Leo Polak became good friends and intellectual rivals. Van Wijk was a model student with exceptionally high marks in Dutch history, Latin, Ancient Greek, and Hebrew, although he struggled in High German. He struggled similarly in mathematics, but by the end of his schooling he had earned the highest score during the graduating exams. After completing gymnasium in 1898, Van Wijk began studying Dutch literature at the University of Amsterdam.
On 3 October, Van Wijk moved to Kloveniersburgwal and began studying under H. C. Rogge, C. M. Kan, and Jan te Winkel in history, geography, and Netherlandistics, respectively. Kan was particularly impressed with Van Wijk's work, writing that he had "given ample proof of serious study, insight and the gift of expressing himself clearly and succinctly." Van Wijk had made an impression with another professor, C. C. Uhlenbeck, then employed by the university as a buitengewoon hoogleraar though the following year he was promoted to a full professorship. Van Wijk recounted during his inaugural lecture in 1913: "From the first day that I heard a Wulfila lecture I have worked under your influence." He met Van Wijk regularly on Saturday afternoons to teach him Sanskrit. Following Uhlenbeck's departure from the university, his professorship was filled by his colleague R. C. Boer. During this period, Van Wijk kept a remarkably low profile; it is likely that he was an attendee of the Jacob van Maelant Association, a student's association for Dutch literature, but – outside of one essay lecture he gave on Völuspá, a poem in the Poetic Edda, in 1900 which ended in a debate with David Wijnkoop – he does not appear to have had any appreciable role in the association. It is possible that he assisted in inviting guest speakers for the Literarische Studenten-Vereeniging ('Literary Students Union'), a student organization for classicists and Netherlandicists.
After passing his doctoraal exam – granting him the equivalent of a master's degree – in May 1901, Van Wijk returned to Zwolle on 7 October to begin writing his doctoral dissertation. Around this time, Van Wijk began taking steps to choose comparative linguistics as his topic of study. On 24 November, he sent a letter to Wilhelm Streitberg, editor of the academic journal Indogermanische Forschungen ('Indo-European Research'), requesting his article be published; he wrote that Uhlenbeck had urged him to send the article for publication after reviewing it himself. It is unknown what Streitberg's reply was, but the article – entitled Über die ursprüngliche Stammgestalt der idg. sogenannten i- und u-Stämme ('On the Original Stem Form of the So-Called IE *i- and *u-Stems') – was not published.
In 1902, after receiving a grant from the Amsterdamse Universiteitsvereniging ('University of Amsterdam Association'), Van Wijk completed his doctoral dissertation, Der nominale Genitiv Singular im Indogermanischen in seinem Verhältnis zum Nominativ ('The Nominal Genitive Singular in Indo-European in its Relationship to the Nominative'). Van Wijk argued that certain nominative and genitive singular forms, such as in Latin ops and opis, arose from a common origin. Although it was initially met with skepticism, the paper was considered bold and received renewed interest several decades later. Van Wijk, however, later distanced himself from the dissertation, writing ten years later: "I asserted a great deal in my own dissertation which, on further reflection, appears to me all too fantastical and which I have increasingly come to regret". Still, the dissertation had its supporters; Jacobus van Ginneken, another of Uhlenbeck's doctoral students, wrote about Uhlenbeck's reaction to it thus: