The National History Museum commemorated today, on the anniversary of his death, the prominent Albanologist Gustav Meyer.

Meyer was born on November 25, 1850 in Gros-Stechlitz, Austria. During the years 1860-1867, he attended high school, when he began to show his interest in linguistics. In 1874 he moved to Prague, where in 1875 he held lectures at the University of Prague as a private docent. On April 5, 1881, he was appointed external lecturer and on May 24, he was an official lecturer of Sanskrit and comparative linguistics at the University of Graz.

Gustav Meyer paid special attention to old Greek and Albanian, especially etymology and ethnography. His most important works for the Albanian language are: Albanesische Studien I, (1882); Etymologische Wörterbuch der albanesischen Sprache, Strassburg 1891; Kurzgefasste albanesische Grammatik, Leipzig, 1888; Zum indogermanischen ë – Perfectum auf die albanesische Formenlehre, published in “Miscellanea di filologia e linguistica in memoriam di Napoleone Caix e Angelo Canello, Firenze, 1886; Die lateinischen Elemente im Albaneseschen, published in Gröbers Grundriss, I, I. Auflage (1888) etc.

In 1897, due to his serious health condition, he ended his work as a lecturer. He passed away in 1900.

In the context of various scholars dealing with the problem of the Albanian language, the German scholar occupies a special place, especially in regards to his contribution in defending the thesis on the origin of the Albanian language from Illyrian and its position it holds in the Indo-European family of languages. His contribution to etymological studies and the development of Albanian grammar history, Meyer’s work is a contribution of special importance in the field of Albanology in general.

 Meyer maintained a long correspondence with Jeronim De Rada, a key personality of the Albanian National Renaissance.

/a.p./