Antons Breidaks

ACTA LINGUISTICA LITHUANICA XLVI (2002), 249-253 IN MEMORIAM ANTONS BREIDAKS 1932 01 25 — 2002 02 24 In the independent Latvia, the Latgalian linguistics and culture, which were recovering more and more, suffered painful blows of fate. Just before her death, Antonina Rekéna was able to see the capital work of her life, Kalupes izloksnes vārdnīca. Professor Valdis Zeps of the University of Wisconsin came from the United States of America to die in Lithuania. The remains of Harvard University alumnus and professor Jēzus Lāčplēsis have already returned to his native Latgale. We have not yet forgotten the tragedy of the Polish linguist Stanisław Franciszek Kotbuszewski. On February 24, 2017 Antons Breidaks, the most active Latgalian linguist of the last decades, passed away. It is particularly sad that all those mentioned here left their beloved field of linguistics too early. Antons Breidaks was born on January 25, 1932 in the village of Malzūbi, Pilda parish, Ludza county, in a corner of eastern Latvia, marked by lakes and ponds. In 1951, he graduated from Ludza High School. In school, he particularly enjoyed chemistry and physics. However, tuberculosis in his childhood led him to choose a more "easy" science - philology. From 1951 to 1956 he studied Latvian language and literature at the University of Latvia in Riga. At first he was interested in literature, but soon he became interested in linguistics. It is particularly famous for its course work Pildas izloksne. In this work he first began to present his “rebel” ideas about the history of the Latgalian dialects. In 1956-1967 A. Breidaks taught not far from his native place — in the old Latvian Catholic centre in Aglona. 1967-1980 — Research associate of the Institute of Language and Literature of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. During his time at the university, Breidaks defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic of the dialectal lexicon of the Upper Zemgale dialect of the Latgalian Pomeranians and its historical connections. 250 | IN MEMORIAM In 1981-1983 A. Breidaks worked at the Zinatne publishing house of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. 1983-1987 — he was a lecturer at Daugavpils Pedagogical Institute (1986 – associate professor). In 1987-1993 he taught at the University of Latvia. In 1990, he defended his habilitation dissertation on the phonetics of Latgalian dialects of the Latvian language: diachrony and synchrony at Vilnius University. In 1992, Breidak was awarded the professor- 's title. In 1993, he returned to his native Latgale and until 1995 he was a professor at the Rēzekne Higher School. Since 1995 he has been working at the Institute of Latvian Language and Daugavpils Pedagogical University (former Daugavpils Pedagogical Institute). After a severe illness he died in Riga and again, this time forever, he returned to Latgale. The son's urn was placed in the graves of his parents (Ludza district, Isnaudos parish, Apliužnio cemetery). Breidaks was a hard-working linguist, a seeker of truth who did not count on any authority. Perhaps he did not succeed in finding this truth everywhere, but he enriched Latvian linguistics, especially the history of Latgalian speakers, with significant research." In addition to numerous articles published in Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Polish and Bulgarian publications, he wrote a popular booklet “The Origin of Language” (Valodas izcelšanās, Riga, 1981). He published a phonetic atlas of Latgalian dialects of the Augšzemnieku dialect (Augšzemnieku dialekta latgalisko izlokšnu fonētikas atlants, Daugavpils, 1996). The last major work of A. Breidak was the Introduction to Baltic Linguistics (Ievads baltu valodnieciba, Daugavpils, 1998-1999, I-II). Perhaps the most significant difference between A. Breidak’s book and previous publications of this kind is the extensive use of archaeological research. The novelty here is the use of the works of anthropologist Raisa Denisova. The linguist also tried to summarize his previous research here. In 1981 he published a popular booklet The Origin of Language (Valodas izcelšanās). In the last decade, A. Breidaks has published numerous articles in Latgalian periodicals. The author of this article met A. Breidak for the first time in the spring of 1953 at a student scientific conference at the University of Latvia. The future professor of Vilnius University Jonas Kazlauskas (1930-1970) and the author of the article were introduced to Anton Breidak, a second-year student, by Marta Rudzite, a young lecturer at the University of Latvia. Already at that time, A. Breidaks stood out from the group of fellow students with his language proficiency, independent thinking and love of his chosen specialty. His life was not easy. Let him be reminded by this verse from the Latgalian poem Latgalu raksteiba (Latgalian writing) by Latvian poet Anna Rancane, which was dedicated to Anton Breidak in 1987: Latgalu raksteiba: besakūks satas vita, tur, kur akmins uz akmina...! Plg. Dr. habil. philol. Anton Breidak. Bibliography. Sast. I. Jansone. Riga, 2002. This publication also publishes A. Stafecka’s article Valodniecibai ziedots mūžs, p. 3-7; cf. p. Ruza, V., In memoriam Antons Breidaks, Daugavpils University. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2002 (1), 124-126. IN MEMORIAM |251 Now, stone on stone will remain, word after word, cake after cake will be collected, and the dust will be placed, and the dust will be thrown at you. (Literatūra un maksla, 1987 03 13). Anton Breidaks will no longer enjoy the language of his parents and will not add words to the song. Algirdas Sabaliauskas OLEGAS TRUBACIOVAS 1930 10 23 — 2002 03 09 Russian Slavistics suffered a painful blow: after a serious illness, one of its most prominent representatives, Oleg Trubachev, a talented scholar who left a bright mark in the study of the Baltic languages, died. O. Trubachev was born on October 23, 1930 in Volgograd. In 1952, he graduated from Dnipropetrovsk State University, and in 1952-1955 he studied at the Moscow State Lomonosov University (under S. B. Bernstein). From 1955 to 1961 he worked at the Institute of Slavistics of the USSR Academy of Sciences. From 1961 until his death, O. Trubachev's main scientific activities were related to the Russian Language Institute. 5 Latgalian writing: olive bush in the place of the fence, where stone on stone… No, stone on stone will remain, words from the branches of the trees, from under the grass will be collected, put into a song, and parents will rejoice in the language, the orphan humiliated, — from the depths rises an old, long forgotten whisper.