Gerhard Ulrich Woldemar Deeters
Gerhard Ulrich Woldemar Deeters (8 August 1892, Lemberg – 19 October 1961, Bonn) was a German linguist, Kartvelologist and Caucasologist. He served as an assistant at the University of Leipzig (1927–1932) and as a professor at the University of Bonn (1935–1960).
From 1922 to 1925, he studied comparative linguistics in Jena and Munich. He defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic of "The Kartvelian Verb." From 1930 to 1934, he was the editor of the journal Caucasica, founded by A. Dirr, and from 1937 to 1960, he edited the journal Indogermanische Forschungen (Indo-Germanic Research).
Deeters published numerous works on the structure and historical development of the Georgian and other Kartvelian languages. Notably, his monograph “The Kartvelian Verb” (1930) offers an in-depth comparative morphological analysis of Kartvelian languages and reconsiders many key issues, including the differentiation of the Common Kartvelian proto-language.
He also wrote extensively on the relationship between the Georgian (Kartvelian) and Armenian languages, and produced a study on the history of Georgian writing. According to Deeters, the Georgian script originated from Greek and was created after the Christianization of Georgia. He published several works on Georgian literature as well.
His book “Georgian Literature” is a brief overview of Georgian literary history from the 5th to the 20th century. He also published several articles on Shota Rustaveli’s The Knight in the Panther’s Skin. Deeters was recognized as a prominent specialist in Caucasian languages.
He trained several distinguished scholars of Kartvelian languages, including F. Neisser, K. Horst Schmidt, and others.
Literary works: Armenisch und Südkaukasisch, «Caucasica», fasc. 3–4, Lpz., 1926–27; Eine Tscherkesische Grammatik, იქვე, fasc. 9, Lpz., 1931; Die Abchasische Sprachbau, «Nachrichten der Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften », Gött., 1931; Die Kaukasische Sprachen, «Handbuch der Orientalistik», hrsg. von B. Spuler, I Abt., Bd. 7, Leiden– Köln, 1963; Georgische Literatur, იქვე.
Literature: რ ე ვ ი შ ვ ი ლ ი შ., გერჰარდ დეეტერსი და ქართული ლიტერატურა, «უცხო ენები სკოლაში», 1973, № 3; L a n g D. M., Professor Gerhard Deeters, «Bedi Kartlisa. Revue de Kartvélologie», v. 11–12, P., 1961.
Z. Sarjveladze
