Westermann, Diedrich Hermann (1875-1956)

Pioneer of African linguistics

Born in Baden, Germany, Westermann studied at Basel and Tübingen prior to being sent to Togoland (modern Togo) by the North German Mission as a teacher. There he developed an interest in the Ewe language that was to shape the direction of the rest of his life. Two major publications from this period were Wörteruch der Ewe-Sprache (vols. 1 and 2, 1905, 1906) and Grammatik der Ewe-Sprache (1907). In 1908 he left missionary service to begin lecturing on Ewe, Ful, and Hausa at the Orientalisches Seminar in Berlin. In 1910 he replaced the Bantuist Carl Meinhof as professor, later taking up the chair of African Languages and Cultures at Berlin University, where he remained until retiring in 1950. The studies he had begun in Togoland led to an interest in the Sudanic languages, early results of which were published as Die Sudansprachen (1911), but his classification of the languages was continually modified over the years, most notably in “Charaketer und Einteilung der Sudansprachen” (Africa, 1935) and, with M. A. Bryan, The Languages of West-Africa (1952). (“Sudan” in that period included most of West Africa as well as areas to the east.) His main interest was in the languages at the western end of the family, such as Mande or Kpelle and Gola of Liberia, but his bibliography shows extensive publications on languages across West Africa. From 1928 to 1939, along with D. G. Brackett (1929-1939), he served as editor of Africa, the journal of the International Institute of African Languages and Cultures (now the International African Institute).

Westernmann particularly enjoyed working on phonetics and tonetics. Practical Phonetics for Students of African Languages (1933, 1973), written with Ida C. Ward, benefited students for many years. Cultural change and African development also had his attention, and Geschichte Afrikas (1952) was an attempt at a comprehensive survey of the history of the African people. The cumulative effect of his work was to help Africanists see the continent as an indivisible whole.

Philip C. Stine, “Westermann, Diedrich Hermann,” in Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, ed. Gerald H. Anderson (New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 1998), 724.

This article is reprinted from Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, Macmillan Reference USA, copyright © 1998 Gerald H. Anderson, by permission of Macmillan Reference USA, New York, NY. All rights reserved.

Bibliography

Digital Primary

Westermann, Diedrich Hermann. Die Gola-sprache in Liberia: grammatik, texte und wörterbuch. Hamburg: L. Friederichsen, 1921.

_____. Die Nutzpflanzen unserer Kolonien und ihre wirtschaftliche Bedeutung für das Mutterland. Berlin: D. Reimer, 1909.

_____. Grammatik der Ewe-Sprach. Berlin: D. Reimer (E. Vohsen), 1907.

_____. Nuer Glossed Text. Reichsdruckerei, 1912.

_____. Nuer Grammar. Reichsdruckerei, 1912.

_____. The Shilluk People, Their Language and Folklore. Philadelphia: Board of Foreign Missions of the United Presbyterian Church of N.A., 1912.

_____. Wörterbuch der Ewe-Sprache, Volume 2. Berlin: D. Reimer, 1906.

Primary

Bargery, G. P. and Diedrich Westermann. A Hausa-English Dictionary and English-Hausa Vocabulary. London: Oxford University Press, 1934.

Rattray, R. S. and Diedrich Westermann. The Tribes of the Ashanti Hinterland. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969.

Westermann, Diedrich Hermann. Africa and Christianity. London: Oxford University Press, 1937.

_____. The African to-day and to-morrow. London, New York: Published for the International African Institute by the Oxford University Press, 1949.

_____. Afrika als europäische Aufgabe. Berlin: Deutscher Verlag, 1941.

_____. Afrikaner erzählen ihr leben; elf selbstdarstellungen afrikanischer eingeborener aller bildungsgrade und berufe und aus allen teilen Afrikas. [Essen]: Essener Verlagsanstalt, 1938.

_____. Afrikanische Tabusitten im ihrer Einwirkung auf die Sprachgestaltung. Berlin: Akademie der Wissenschaften, in Kommission bei W. de Gruyter u. Co, 1940.

_____. Beiträge zur deutschen kolonialfrage. Essen: Essener Verlaganstalt, 1937.

_____. Der Afrikaner heute und morgen. Berlin: Essener Verlagsanstalt, 1937.

_____. Der Wortbau des Ewe. Berlin: Akademie der Wissenschaften, in Kommission bei W. de Gruyter, 1943.

_____. Die Glidyi-Ewe in Togo; Züge aus ihrem Gesellschaftsleben. Berlin: W. de Gruyter, 1935.

_____. Die heutigen naturvölker im ausgleich mit der neuen zeit. Stuttgart: F. Enke, 1940.

_____. Die sprache der Guang in togo und auf der Goldküste, und fünf andere Togosprachen. Berlin: D. Reimer (E. Vohsen), 1922.

_____. Die Sprache der Haussa in Zentralafrika. Berlin: D. Reimer (E. Vohsen), 1911.

_____. Die Sudansprachen, eine sprachvergleichende studie. Hamburg: L. Friederichsen & Co. (dr. L. & R. Friederichsen), 1911.

_____. Die Volkwerdung der Hausa. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1950.

_____. Die westlichen Sudansprachen und ihre beziehungen zum bantu, von Diedrich Westermann. Berlin: In Kommission bei W. de Gruyter u. co, 1927.

_____. Geschichte Afrika: Staatenbildungen südlich der Sahara. Köln: Greven-Verlag, 1952.

_____. Handbuch der ful-sprache; wörterbuch, grammatik übungen und texte. Berlin: D. Reimer, 1909.

_____. Pluralbildung und Nominalklassen in einigen afrikanischen Sprachen. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1947.

_____. Sprachbezichungen und Sprachverwandtschaft in Afrika. Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1949.

_____. Wörterbuch der Ewe-Sprache. Berlin: D. Reimer, 1905.

Westermann, Diedrich and Aubrey Lewis Bickford-Smith. A Study of the Ewe Language. London: Oxford University Press, 1930.

Westermann, Diedrich and E. Kähler-Meyer. Die Ewe-Sprache in Togo: eine praktische Einführung. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1961.

Westermann, Diedrich and Hermann Oscar Rohde. Die Kpelle, ein negerstamm in Liberia, dargestellt auf der grundlage von eingeborenen-berichten, mit zwei nachträgen: Texte in der Golasprache und Kpelle-beiträge von H. Rohde, nebst einer kartenskizze. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1921.

Westermann, Diedrich and Ida C. Ward. Practical Phonetics for Students of African Languages. London: Published for the International Institute of African Languages & Cultures by Oxford University Press, H. Milford, 1933.

Westermann, Diedrich, and M. A. Bryan. The Languages of West Africa. London: Published for the International African Institute by the Oxford University Press, 1952.

Westermann, Diedrich and Richard Thurnwald. The Missionary and Anthropological Research. London: Oxford University Press, 1932.