In memoriam Terje Mathiassen (1938–1999)

this division has no single basis (say, place names of ar Prussian-Curnish origin can also be water names, personal names, professional names, etc. ir ir ir ar of origin), but gives a detailed summarized ir picture of the origin of the names of residential places in Lesser Lithuania. The ir second subsection of this chapter, “Changes in Place Names”, historically highlights the Germanization of the region, then the Russification, ultimately extirpating the Baltic languages from this territory. The study ends with a large page) iš summary in German language of the church villages, (9 whose names were here. Concluding the review of ir the book, it should be said that the researchers 210, of place names, authentic valuable material, will find here criticizable things doubtful etymologies be inaccuracies in the analysis ir of other names, but no one can deny that ir — ar V. Pėteraitis Studio “Little Lithuania ir Tvankstos vietovardžiai”, as the first ir book by this author ‘Mažoji Lithuania ir Tvanksta”, once again demonstrating the Baltic substrate of Lesser Lithuania, ir is an important contributiį on to the study of Baltic culture. Marija Razmukaitė IN MEMORIAM TERJE MATHIASSEN (1938-1999) Some tragic fate haunt the Scandinavian Baltists. Not so long ago, the terrible diseases of our age took Helga Rinholm from Norway and Jörundur Hilmarsson from Iceland too early to their graves. And here we are again: after long suffering, cancer finally broke the professor Terje Mathiassen of the University of Oslo on January 9, 1999. And all three of them were not only good friends, researchers of Baltic languages, students of the great Norwegian Baltist Christian S. Stange, but also the most sincere friends of our nation. Mathiassen was born on 12 April 1938 in Oslo. He graduated from high school in 1957. He studied Latin and mathematics. However, nowadays it is more difficult to combine these subjects, and Mathiassen decided to study Russian studies, German studies and Norwegian philology at the University of Oslo. Be Chr. Among his teachers there was the famous Norwegian Iranian Georg Morgenstierne. In 1962, Mathiassen completed his general studies with a master's degree. His further interest in Slavistics, and partly in Baltistics, could be said to have been determined by NATO. During his military service, Mathiassen had the opportunity to complete very good Russian language courses organized by NATO (he completed them with the future Norwegian Defence Minister- ). Among others, the above-mentioned H. Rinholm had completed such courses. In 1964, Mathiassen had to study for five months in Leningrad. The deceased recalled that the first visa to Leningrad was issued to him by Vytautas Burkauskas, a Lithuanian employee of the USSR embassy in Norway. In 1965, Mathiassen was already a candidate of philology. From 1966 to 1971, he was a 247 fellow at the University of Oslo. 1970 m. him the už dissertation “Studies of ir long vocalism in Slavic Indo-European languages” was awarded the doctorate of philosophy. Soon the dissertation was published as a separate book jo (Studies on the Slavic and Indo-European Long vowels. Oslo, Bergen, Tromsg, 1974). Chr. S. Stango was the official opponent of the dissertation. 1971 m. starts active Mathiesen's Pedagogical Activities. At the University of Oslo he teaches Russian, Church Slavonic, Lithuanian, Latvian, and Introduction to Baltic Philology. Ne only theoretically, but ir practically learn Lithuanian ir Latvian languages. 1982 m. jo worry Lithuanian language as a separate subject introduced at the University of Oslo (previously Lithuanian was taught occasionally as part of the corresponding Indo-European studies). ma 1991 m. also with the most concern in jo the university te a Lithuanian-- ir Latvian language lecturer appears. Philosophers are going to teach here iš Lietuvos ir Latvia. 1978 m. Mathiassen is elected a member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences. 1985 m. he is given the title of professor. Since 1987 he has been a member of the International Slavist Committee. 1992-1994 — Head of the project of the University of Oslo supporting the Baltic countries. 1996 m. elects its foreign member jį Latvian Academy of Sciences. Many of the most important publications of Mathiassen are related to his pedagogical activities. First of all, mention should be made of the comprehensive grammar of Russian (Russisk Grammatikk, Oslo, 1990; 2nd edition 1996) and of the Lithuanian and Latvian grammar (A Short Grammar of Lithuanian. Columbus, 1996'; A Short Grammar of Latvian. Columbus, Mathiassen, together with another Norwegian linguist Siri Sverdrup Lunden, edited Valeriy Berkov's Russian-Norwegian Dictionary (Pyccko-HopBexckuil CJIOBapb. Russisk-nor1997*). sk ordbok) published in Moscow in 1987. Perhaps we will soon see another work of lexicography, which will also be a large part of Mathiassen- 's meticulous work. Professor Evalda Jakaitienė, one of his supervisors, says about this work: “Since 1996 he has been one of the supervisors of the Lithuanian-- Norwegian /norvegy-lietuviy language dictionary project of the new Institute of Eastern European Studies and Oriental Studies at the University of Oslo. Matiasen not only handled the organizational affairs of the project group, but was also a great advisor, because he had an extremely good sense of the colors and shades of Norwegian words, was extremely hard-working, corrected the same text many times, looking for the most accurate Lithuanian equivalent in Norwegian. The dictionary is not yet finished, and its editors will constantly miss his colleague’s qualified remarks, insightful advice, and benevolent feedings.” «3 ! Sabaliauskas A. Valeika L. (Rec.) — Baltistica, 1997, 32 (1), 133-136. *Rosin A. (Rec.) — Baltistica, 1997, 32 (2), 256-258. “Jakaitienė E. Professor Terje Matiasen. —Native Language, 1999, 2, 21-23. 248 Mathiassen has published numerous articles in the press of various countries on the historical ir morphology, vų phonetics, syntax, lexicon and linguistic relations of the Baltic languages.” 1981 m. At the session of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences, Mathiassen read a paper on the culture of the Baltic languages. ir The message has been published Norwegian Academy of Sciences. He has participated in numerous scientific conferences in Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Canada, United States of America. Mathiassen has visited Lithuania many times. 1991 in the autumn of the year į In Lithuania he was happy that he did not need a visa this time. In 1994 he spent three weeks in Lithuania with his wife Anna Maria Mathiassen, who was also very interested in Lithuania. He was particularly fond of the journey į Curonian Spit, near the places where his teacher Christian S. Stangas and Jurgis Geruliu studied the Lithuanian fishermen's dialect, which has now completely disappeared. The author of this article recalls when on September 24, 1975, he and Professor Zigmantas Zinkevičius went to the airport to meet Mathiassen. In Lithuania no one knew the Norwegian linguist. To draw the stranger’s attention, we held his recently published book in our hands. After seeing this book, one of the passengers smiled and approached us. This was the beginning of Mathiassen’s friendship with Lithuania. Terje Mathiassen beautifully recalled that meeting and the friends who met him in his presentation at the 8th International Baltic Congress in Vilnius (October 9, 1997). Unfortunately, this presentation was also the last meeting of the linguist with our country and his friends, of whom he had many here. It is difficult to accept the fact that this wonderful man, who has done so much good for Lithuania, is no longer among us. Algirdas Sabaliauskas *Mathiassen T. The personal endings in the Baltic verb with special reference to the 2nd person singular. P. Sg. lit. —lett. *ie and the Indo-European basis. An attempt at a new interpretation. —Journal of Linguistics, 1975, 29, 199-205; O nponcxoxj1teHHH dhopM NpHuacTHH Ha -¢s, -¢ B IMTOBCKOM S13E5IKĖ, -is B JIATbILICKOM s13bIKe. —Baltistica, 1976, 12 (1), 43-50; CKOJILKO GObIMIO B IIpadajITHUŪCKOM OCHOBHBIX TUIIOB CJIOBECHOTO V/JIADpeHHS —IBA HJIH pu? —Baltistica, 1983, 19 (2), 108-113; A Discussion of the Notion “Sprachbund' and its Application in the Eastern Baltic Area (Slavic, Baltic, and West Finnish). —International Journal of Slavic Linguistics and Poetics, 1985, 31-32, 273-281; An Unorthodox View of the 1. P. Sg. Subjunctive (Optative) in Lithuanian. —Baltistica, 1993, 28 (1), 5-8; Prepositional noun-controlled origin in Baltic, Baltic Finnish and Scandinavian languages (historical review). —Baltistica, 1993, 28 (2), 21-26; Again on the ie complex in the eastern Baltic. —Linguistica Baltica, 1995, 4, 41-53; Some Aspects of the History of Lithuanian and Latvian Grammatical Terminology. — Baltistica V Priedas, 1998, 169-176, et al. 249