Hirt, Hermann

Hermann Hirt, in full Hermann Alfred Hirt, (born Dec. 19, 1865, Magdeburg, Prussia [Germany]—died Sept. 12, 1936, Giessen, Ger.), German linguist whose comprehensive Indogermanische Grammatik, 7 vol. (1921–37; “Indo-European Grammar”), remains influential. Earlier, Hirt had made original studies of accent and ablaut (vowel changes) in Indo-European. His concern with prehistory extended beyond language to the Indo-European people and their culture, which he treated in Die Indogermanen, 2 vol. (1905–07; “The Indo-Europeans”).

The major part of his professional life was spent as professor of Indo-European philology and Sanskrit at the University of Giessen (1912–36).