Tuesday 10 June 2008

In memoriam: Mukhadin A. Kumakhov – 1928-2008

In memoriam
Mukhadin A. Kumakhov – 1928-2008


Today I received the very sad news from Moscow that Professor Muhadin Kumakhov died on June 7, following a short period of illness. His funeral will take place in Nalchik today (Tuesday).

Къэнахэм Тхьэм ящимыгъэгъупщэкэ. И ахърэт Тхьэм нэху ищ.

Kodzokue Metin

Mukhadin A. Kumakhov

The great Circassian linguist Mukhadin A. Kumakhov passed away in Moscow on June 7.

Mukhadin Kumakhov graduated from Tbilisi State University, where he continued his doctoral dissertation under the guidance of the Georgian caucasologist Arnold Chikobava. As a professor of the Institute of Linguistics the Academy of Sciences in Moscow, and for many years the Head of the section for Comparative Linguistics at this institution, his scientific contributions to Caucasology and General linguistics received wide international recognition. He was a member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, elected honory doctor of Lund University (Sweden) and a member of the Societas Caucasologica Europaea. For his contributions to the development of Caucasology he was awarded the Chikobava Prize of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. He was the chief-editor of the recently published Adyghe (Circassian) Encyclopeadia (in Russian).

He has taken part in many international caucasological conferences and gatherings, for instance, in London, Oxford, Paris, Istanbul, Ankara, Berlin, Munich, San Sebastian. He spent several years as visiting professor at the Department of Linguistics at Lund University (Sweden), where he wrote a number of articles and two monographs (in cooperation with prof. Karina Vamling).

Professor Kumakhov published over two hundred scientific articles and twelve monographs, among them: Inflection of the Adyghe languages (in Russian), Historical-comparative phonetics of the Adyghe (Circassian) languages (in Russian), Historical-comparative grammar of the Adyghe (Circassian) languages (in Russian), Studies in General and Caucasian linguistics (in Russian), Ergativity in the Circassian languages (in Russian), Circassian clause structure (in English, in press).

Mukhadin Kumakhov is buried in his native Nalchik in Kabardino-Balkaria, North Caucasus (2008-06-10)

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