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Suniti Kumar Chatterji

スニティ・クマール・チャッタジー

Suniti Kumar Chatterji

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1890-11-26 （Shibpur, Howrah, Bengal Presidency, British India）
Died
1977-05-29 （Calcutta, West Bengal, India） age 86
Nationality
India
Languages
Bengali, English
Religion
Hinduism
Residence History
Shibpur, Howrah → Calcutta (now Kolkata)

Career

Occupations
linguist, educationist, litterateur
Active Years
1911-1977
Affiliations
University of Calcutta (Khaira Professor of Indian Linguistics and Phonetics), Vidyasagar College (lecturer), Sahitya Akademi (President), West Bengal Legislative Council (Chairman)
Influenced By
Jules Bloch, Rabindranath Tagore (associate)
Influenced
Sukumar Sen, Korada Mahadeva Sastri

Education

Scottish Church College
Period: 〜1909
Year of Graduation: 1909
Country: India
Completed FA (pre-university)
Presidency College, Kolkata
Faculty of English / English (Honours)
Degree: B.A. (Honours)
Period: 1909–1911
Year of Graduation: 1911
Country: India
Graduated first class (1911)
Presidency College, Kolkata
Faculty of English / English
Degree: M.A.
Period: 1911–1913
Year of Graduation: 1913
Country: India
Completed M.A. in 1913, stood first
University of London (studies)
Phonology and Indo-European linguistics
Period: 1919–1922
Year of Graduation: 1922
Country: United Kingdom
Studied phonology and various languages in London
Sorbonne (University of Paris) (research)
Indo-Aryan, Slavic and classical languages research
Period: 1921–1922
Year of Graduation: 1922
Country: France
Research under Jules Bloch

Awards

Padma Vibhushan
1955
Organization: Government of India
Result: 受賞
Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
Organization: Royal Society
Result: 選出/就任

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Bengali Phonetics

1921 scholarly article

A detailed scholarly analysis of the phonetic system of Bengali.

phoneticsBengali studies

The Origin and Development of the Bengali Language

1926 academic book

A seminal work discussing the origin and historical development of the Bengali language from a historical-linguistic perspective.

historical linguisticslanguage change

Dwipmay Bharat (Island India)

1940 essay collection (Bengali)

A Bengali-language collection of essays on culture and history.

culturehistory

Ramayana: its Character, Genesis, History and Exodus: A Resume

1978 research book

A concise treatment summarizing views on the origin and historicity of the Ramayana.

epic studiesmyth and history

Bibliography

  • Bengali Phonetics (1921)
  • The Origin and Development of the Bengali Language (1926)
  • Dwipmay Bharat (Island India) (1940)
  • Language and Linguistic Problems (1943)
  • Kirāta-jana-kṛti (1951)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly and comparative-linguistic approachclear and systematic analysis
Recurring Motifs
language contact and borrowingsystematic phonetic analysislinguistic aspects of Indian culture and history

Legacy

Suniti Kumar Chatterji was a pioneer of Indian linguistics, known for his work on Bengali and Middle Indo-Aryan languages. A Padma Vibhushan awardee, he trained many scholars and left a lasting impact on India's academic and cultural spheres.

Academic Societies

  • Asiatic Society of Bengal
  • Sahitya Akademi

Archives

  • University of Calcutta library and archives

Quotes

  • There is evidently no historical core below the surface—no scholar of Indian history now thinks that Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, was a historical person who can be relegated to a particular period of time.
    Source: Quoted in 'The Ramayana: Its Character, Genesis, History, Expansion and Exodus' (introduction) (1978)

Trivia

  • Awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 1955
  • Held the title Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
  • Part of his house 'Sudharma' was later converted into a Fabindia store