Alfred Ernout

Alfred Ernout ( born October 30, 1879 in Lille, † June 16, 1973 in Paris) was a French classical scholar.

Alfred Ernout attended school in his native city of Lille, where he subsequently at the University of Lille Classical Philology and Linguistics studied and 1901 the state exam ( Agrégation ) graduated. Among his academic teachers were Émile Thomas, Bernard Haussoullier, Louis Havet and Antoine Meillet. In 1905 he obtained his degree at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris and in 1908 received his doctorate there. In the same year was Ernout Professor at Troyes, 1913, he became a university lecturer ( Maître ) at the University of Lille, where he became professor in 1920. In 1924 he went as Maître de conférences at the Sorbonne in 1928, he became a professor there. Since 1925 he was also Director of the École pratique des hautes études. 1946 Ernout professor at the Collège de France. There, in 1952 Pierre Courcelle became his successor.

Ernout dealt primarily with the Latin Language. He researched both the Latin language as well as to Latin literature. He wrote several monographs both the Latin and to other Italic languages ​​, with Antoine Meillet, he wrote a to date basic etymological dictionary of the Latin language, with François Thomas a work on Latin syntax. In the latter work Ernout moved example Plautus but also Vulgar Latin Church and works to speed about the development of the " classic" to be able to trace Latinity. He researched the archaic Latin, as well as to the Umbrian or the inscriptions from Praeneste. Text -critical editions he put Plautus, Petronius and Pliny the Elder before. He was, among other things, the Revue de Philology out.