Dirr Adolf

Dirr Adolf (1867-1930), German ethnographer and linguist, expert in the Caucasian Studies. Honorary Doctor of the Munich University (1908), Corresponding Member of the Bologna Academy (1924). Born in Augsburg, Germany. In 1902–1913 he lived in the Caucasus. He worked as a teacher first in TemirKhan-Shura, later he taught German language in Tbilisi. He explored the way of life of Caucasian peoples and studied their languages. In his research works mostly published in Tbilisi, A. Dirr presented grammatical analysis of Dagestani languages and literary texts, accompanied by their Russian translations and dictionary. He compiled Theoretical-Practical Grammar of Modern Georgian Language (1904) in German. A. Dirr’s composition Introduction to the Study of the Caucasian Languages (1928) was the most extensive summarized research of that time. In 1909 A.Dirr was awarded the prize of the Petersburg Academy of Science. He founded Caucasica, the first linguistic magazine in the field of the Caucasian Studies. In 1913 A. Dirr returned to Germany and till his death he filled the position of a director of Munich Ethnographic Museum.