Marcel Cohen

Marcel Samuel Raphaël Cohen, who lived from February 6, 1884, to November 5, 1974, was a French linguist. He studied many languages, especially Semitic languages and Ethiopian languages. His work helped people understand these languages better. Cohen also looked closely at the French language and added a lot to the study of linguistics, which is the science of how languages work. Because of his important contributions, he is remembered as a key figure in the field of language study.

Life

Marcel Cohen was born in Paris and studied at the Lycée Condorcet. He learned about languages from Antoine Meillet at the Collège de France and the École pratique des hautes études. In 1905, he joined the École des langues orientales and finished his studies in 1909. He learned many languages, including Amharic, French, Sanskrit, Ge'ez, and South Arabian. His thesis was about the Arabic dialect spoken by the Jews of Algiers.

From March 1910 to June 1911, he traveled to Ethiopia to learn more about its languages. He later taught there and became a full Professor in 1926. He also taught at the École pratique des hautes études. Some of his students, like Wolf Leslau, Stefan Strelcyn, and Joseph Tubiana, became experts in Ethiopian languages.

Works

Marcel Cohen wrote many books and articles about languages. Some of his important works include books about Arabic spoken in Algeria, languages in Ethiopia, and the Amharic language. He also wrote about how verbs work in Semitic languages and the history of the French language. His books were published over many years, from 1912 to 1972.