Yehoshua Blau | |
|---|---|
יהושע בלאו | |
 | |
| Born | (1919-09-22)22 September 1919 |
| Died | 20 October 2020(2020-10-20) (aged 101) |
| Occupation | Linguist |
| Children | 2 |
Yehoshua Blau, also spelledJoshua (Hebrew:יהושע בלאו; 22 September 1919 – 20 October 2020) was an Israeli scholar of Arabic language and literature, previouslyProfessorEmeritus at theHebrew University of Jerusalem.[1]
Blau was born inCluj, Romania in September 1919.[2] He moved toMandatory Palestine with his family in 1938. He earned a master's degree in Hebrew, Arabic, and Biblical studies in 1942. He married Shulamit in 1945, and they had a son and daughter. His doctoral studies were interrupted by the1948 Arab-Israeli War, during which he served in theIsrael Defense Forces in an intelligence unit. He was awarded aPhD in 1950 for his dissertation, "The Grammar of Judeo-Arabic." Prior to his academic career, he taught at high schools and published several Hebrew grammars. He briefly taught atTel Aviv University before taking an academic position at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he taught from 1957 to 1986. Even after his retirement, he remained a professor emeritus and informally guided graduate students into his late 90s. He was an active member of theAcademy of the Hebrew Language since the 1950s and served as its president from 1981 to 1993. He continued to edit its journal until 1999.[3]
Blau was elected aCorresponding Fellow of theBritish Academy in 1983.[4] He published a number of books and articles on the Arabic and Hebrew languages, and the Semitic languages generally, in Hebrew and English (and occasionally in German). Blau was elected as a member of theIsrael Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 1968.[5]
