LEXICOTRIBUTE

 

Herbert Ernst Wiegand 08 Januarie 1936 - 03 Januarie 2018

 

 

Van tyd tot tyd smaak enige vakgebied die voorreg om 'n buitengewone deelnemer te hê wat op 'n buitengewone manier tot daardie vakgebied bydra. As vakgebied was dit leksikografie se voorreg en eer om so 'n deelnemer te hê. Op 3 Januarie 2018 het die leksikografiese gemeenskap hierdie toonaangewende lid verloor met die afsterwe van prof. Herbert Ernst Wiegand.

In die veld van die metaleksikografie was prof. Wiegand 'n leidende en hoogs produktiewe lid, 'n aktiewe navorser, 'n akademiese en wetenskapsorga-niseerder, 'n lojale kollega en 'n vriend.

Wiegand se talle publikasies sluit artikels in wat op 'n groot verskeidenheid onderwerpe uit die leksikografie gerig was. Sy werk as enkelouteur vind 'n hoogtepunt in die publikasie van sy magnum opus Wörterbuchforschung (1998). Die hooffokus in sy uitgebreide publikasielys was woordeboekstrukture. Hy het 'n groot verskeidenheid strukture geïdentifiseer, geanaliseer en tot in die fynste besonderhede bespreek. Met hierdie bydrae het hy die vlak van die lek-sikografiese gesprek verhoog en dit as 'n erkende wetenskapsterrein gevestig.

Behalwe sy werk as navorser het Wiegand ook 'n reusebydrae gelewer as redakteur en mederedakteur van 'n aantal vaktydskrifte en boekreekse. Hy was mederedakteur van die tydskrifte Zeitschrift für germanistische Linguistik en Lexi-cographica. International Annual for Lexicography. Revue Internationale de Lexicographie. Internationales Jahrbuch der Lexikographie, van die boekreekse Reihe Germanistische Linguistik, die Wörterbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft en Lexicographica. Series Maior. In 1982 het hy besef dat daar 'n behoefte bestaan aan 'n omvattende reeks handboeke wat die verskillende subdissi-plines van die taalkunde dek. Gevolglik het hy die reeks Handbücher zur Sprach-und Kommunikationswissenschaft gevestig. Hy was ook mederedakteur en redakteur van hierdie reeks boeke waarin die jongste stand van taalkunde en kom-munikasiekunde weerspieël is. In deel 5.4 Dictionaries. An International Encyclopedia of Lexicography. Supplementary Volume: Recent Developments with Focus on Electronic and Computational Lexicography (2013) het Wiegand verskeie belangrike bydraes gelewer met 'n vernuwende fokus op van die woordeboekstrukture wat hy reeds in vroeëre publikasies bekendgestel het. Alhoewel hy dit uit-druklik stel dat sy bespreking gerig is op strukture in gedrukte woordeboeke het die oorgang van gedrukte na aanlyn leksikografie reeds grootliks gebaat by hierdie strukture, want met geringe aanpassings kan baie daarvan ook benut word in die beplanning en samestelling van aanlyn woordeboeke.

Nog 'n beduidende bydrae van Wiegand was die vierdelige Internationale Bibliographie zur germanistischen Lexikographie und Wörterbuchforschung. Hierdie publikasie kan beskou word as dié belangrikste leksikografiebibliografie. Alhoe-wel dit hoofsaaklik Duitse bronne verstrek, bevat dit ook talle verwysings na bronne uit Engels, die Nordiese en die Romaanse tale.

Een van Wiegand se laaste groot projekte was sy deelname as hoofredakteur van die gesaghebbende Wörterbuch zur Lexikographie und Wörterbuchforschung/ Dictionary of Lexicography and Dictionary Research. Die eerste deel van hierdie vierdelige projek is in 2010 gepubliseer en die tweede deel in 2017. 'n Belang-wekkende doel van hierdie bron, waarin Duitse leksikografeterme gekoördi-neer word met hulle ekwivalente in Afrikaans, Bulgaars, Engels, Frans, Hongaars, Italiaans, Portugees, Russies en Spaans, is die standaardisering van leksikogra-fiese terminologie.

Wiegand se akademiese loopbaan het in 1972 begin met sy aanstelling as professor vir teoretiese taalkunde aan die Philipps Universiteit van Marburg. Na 'n termyn aan die Universiteit van Düsseldorf het hy 'n aanstelling aanvaar aan die Ruprecht-Karls Universiteit van Heidelberg waar hy tot en met sy aftrede in 2004 'n professor ordinarius was.

Wiegand se rol in Afrilex en Lexikos mag nooit onderskat word nie. In 1996 was hy die eerste hoofspreker by die "First International Conference of the African Association for Lexicography" aan die toenmalige Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit. Hy het gereeld in Lexikos gepubliseer en was ook 'n gewaardeerde lid van dié tydskrif se adviesraad.

HEW, sy voorletters kan ook 'n afkorting wees van "High Energy Wanderer", het welverdiende erkenning vir sy werk gekry, onder meer eredoktorsgrade van die Aarhus School of Business, die Universiteit van Sofia en die Univer-siteit Stellenbosch. Die belangrikste erkenning van sy werk sal egter die voort-gesette invloed van sy indrukwekkende nalatenskap wees.

Prof. Wiegand was vir meer as twee jaar terminaal siek. Hy wou egter nie dat sy gesondheidstoestand in die akademiese gemeenskap bekend moes raak nie, want hy wou met sy navorsing voortgaan sonder om die teiken van kollegas se simpatie te wees. Slegs enkele kollegas was bewus van sy siekte en hy het hulle deurlopend ingelig gehou oor die implikasies van sy siekte vir die voortgaande werk. Van tyd tot tyd het hy my gevra om seker te maak dat persoon X of persoon Y na sy dood met 'n spesifieke deel van sy werk sal voortgaan. Hy het altyd presiese aanduidings gegee van watter werk hy self nog voor sy dood wou voltooi. 'n Maand voor sy sterwe het ek hom besoek en ons is dadelik na sy studeerkamer waar ons sy onvoltooide werk bespreek het. Hy het genoem dat hy graag nog 'n sekere stuk werk sou wou voltooi. Toe ek vier dae voor sy dood telefonies met hom gepraat het, het hy verskonend genoem dat hy ongelukkig nie daardie stuk werk kon voltooi nie. Sy werk het altyd 'n dominante rol in sy lewe gespeel en hy het tot sy dood passievol en entoesiasties daarmee voortgegaan.

Herbert Ernst Wiegand sal gemis word. Maar hy het 'n nalatenskap wat verseker dat sy werk steeds 'n wesenlike rol in die metaleksikografie sal speel.

Rufus H. Gouws
Universiteit Stellenbosch
Suid-Afrika
(rhg@sun.ac.za)

 

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Herbert Ernst Wiegand 08 January 1936 - 03 January 2018

From time to time every academic subject field experiences the privilege of having an exceptional scholar contributing to that field in an exceptional way. The field of lexicography was privileged and honoured to have such a scholar. On the 3 January 2018 the lexicographic community lost this prominent member with the passing away of Prof Herbert Ernst Wiegand.

In the field of metalexicography Prof Wiegand has been a leading and highly productive scholar, a prolific researcher, an academic and scientific organiser, a loyal colleague and friend.

Wiegand's numerous publications include articles focusing on a wide variety of topics from the field of lexicography with his work as single author culminating in his magnum opus Wörterbuchforschung (1998). The dominant focus in his extensive publication list has been on dictionary structures. He identified, analysed and discussed a comprehensive selection of dictionary structures in minute details. With this contribution he elevated the lexicographic discussion and established it as an acknowledged scientific domain.

Besides his work as researcher Wiegand made a huge contribution as editor and co-editor of a number of scientific journals and book series. He was co-editor of the Zeitschrift für germanistische Linguistik, Lexicographica. International Annual for Lexicography. Revue Internationale de Lexicographie. Internationales Jahrbuch der Lexikographie, the book series Reihe Germanistische Linguistik, the Wörterbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft and Lexicographica. Series Maior. In 1982 he realised the need for a comprehensive series of text books covering all subfields of the broad discipline of linguistics. Consequently he co-founded the series Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft, and was co-editor and editor of this series of text books that reflect the state-of-the-art of linguistics and communication science. In Volume 5.4 Dictionaries. An International Encyclopedia of Lexicography. Supplementary Volume: Recent Developments with Focus on Electronic and Computational Lexicography (2013) Wiegand wrote a number of seminal contributions with an innovative focus on dictionary structures introduced in earlier publications. Although he explicitly stated that his discussion focused on structures of printed dictionaries the transfer from printed to online dictionaries has already benefited substantially from these structures because with minor adaptations many of them can be employed in the planning and compilation of online dictionaries.

Another significant contribution was Wiegand's four volume Internationale Bibliographie zur germanistischen Lexikographie und Wörterbuchforschung. This publication can be regarded as the most important bibliography of lexicography. Although it primarily provides German references it also includes references from English and the Nordic and Romance languages.

One of Wiegand's last major endeavours was his participation as leading editor of the Wörterbuch zur Lexikographie und Wörterbuchforschung/Dictionary of Lexicography and Dictionary Research. The first volume of this four volume project was published in 2010 and the second volume in 2017. An important aim of this publication, in which German lexicographic terms are coordinated with equivalents in Afrikaans, Bulgarian, English, French, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian, is the standardisation of lexicographic terminology.

Wiegand's academic career started with his appointment in 1972 as professor for theoretical linguistics at the Philipps University of Marburg. After a period at the University of Düsseldorf he took up a position at the RuprechtKarls University of Heidelberg where he was Professor Ordinarius from 1977 until his retirement in 2004.

Wiegand's role in Afrilex and Lexikos may never be underestimated. In 1996 he was the first keynote speaker at the First International Conference of the African Association for Lexicography, held at the then Rand Afrikaans University. He regularly published in Lexikos and has also been a respected member of the advisory board of this journal.

HEW, the initials can also be read as High Energy Wanderer, received well deserved recognition for his work, including honorary doctorates from the Aarhus School of Business, the University of Sofia and Stellenbosch University. The main recognition, however, will be the continued influence of his comprehensive legacy.

Prof Wiegand was terminally ill for more than two years. He did not want the condition of his health to be made known in the scholarly community because he wanted to continue with his research and work without having to be the target of his colleagues' sympathy. Only a few colleagues were aware of his illness, and he kept them informed of his condition and the implications it had for the ongoing work. From time to time he would ask me to make sure that person X or person Y would continue with a specific part of his work once he had passed away. He always gave a clear indication of what he still hoped to complete before his death. A month before he passed away I visited him and he immediately took me to his study where we discussed his uncompleted work. He told me that he would still like to complete one specific part of that work. When I called him four days before his death he apologised for not having completed that section. His work played a dominant role in his life and he continued working with passion and enthusiasm until his death.

Herbert Ernst Wiegand will be missed. However, he left a legacy that will continue to play a major role in the field of metalexicography.

Rufus H. Gouws
Stellenbosch University
South Africa
(rhg@sun.ac.za)