Nils Magnus Holmer (1905–1994) was a Swedish linguist.
Education and research
Holmer initially studied
Russian language at
Lund University, where he focused on Indo-European linguistics.
In the 1920s, Holmer was a guest student at a university in Prague, where he switched to studying Celtic languages.
Holmer spent four months in the Scottish Highlands in the mid-1930s.[Chelliah, S. and de Reuse, Willem The History of Linguistic Fieldwork (2011) Springer ] and this material is the largest body of evidence for how this dialect was used and spoken in everyday life.
Holmer carried out fieldwork across a wide range of languages across several continents, including Irish language, Siouan languages, the Central American language Guna language and the South American language of Choco languages and Wayuu language.
He was "deeply immersed" in the Basque language language.
His contact with the Algonquian languages, Iroquoian languages
During the 1960s and 1970s he conducted extensive fieldwork into several Australian Aboriginal languages including recording the Maric languages in the Warrego River and Maranoa River rivers region from several speakers in the 1960s.[ PDF] His work was helpful in the efforts of the Ngabu Bingayi Aboriginal Corporation to promote study of the language at Kempsey TAFE NSW. He also compiled a grammar and dictionary for the Mununjali language in 1978.
Career
Holmer was professor of
linguistics at
Lund University between 1949 and 1969.
After his retirement, he moved to Argyll, Scotland, where he lived for a few years near Oban. Whilst there, he conducted research into the surviving speakers of Loch Etive-side Gaelic.
Holmer is notable as the only Swede to have three articles published in the journal Language.[Sigurd, Bengt Svensk språkforskning under 1900-talet Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings]
Personal life
Holmer was born in
Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1905.
He married Vanja E.
He died in Sweden in 1994.
Bibliography
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Holmer, Nils M. Studies on Argyllshire Gaelic. Uppsala et Leipzig, ( Skrifter utgivna av K. Humanistika Vetenskaps Samfundet i Uppsala, 1938
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Holmer, N M. On Some Relics of the Irish Dialect spoken in the Glens of Antrim: with an Attempt toward the Reconstruction of Northeastern Irish; Being a Report of a Visit to the Glens of Antrim in 1937 Uppsala Almqvist & Wiksells boktryckeri a.b. 1940.
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Holmer N M, The Irish Language in Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim, Todd Lecture Series; iom-leabhar 18, Royal Irish Academy agus Hodges, Figgis, Baile Átha Cliath, 1942.
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Holmer, Nils Magnus. Critical and comparative grammar of the Cuna language, Göteborg : Etnografiska, 1947
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Holmer, Nils M. Indian Place Names in North America. Upsala: The American Institute in the University of Upsala, 1948.
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Holmer, Nils Magnus Ethno-linguistic Cuna dictionary, Göteborg : Etnografiska Museet, 1952.
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Holmer, Nils M. The Seneca language; a study in Iroquoian, Upsala, Lundequist 1954
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Holmer, Nils M. The Gaelic of Arran. Dublin, The Institute for Advanced Studies, 1957
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Holmer, N M. The Dialects of Co. Clare (Part 1), Todd Lecture Series, iom-leabhar 19–20. Royal Irish Academy agus Hodges, Figgis, Baile Átha Cliath, 1962
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Holmer, Nils M. On the history and structure of the Australian languages, Upsala : Lundequistka bokhandeln, 1963.
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Holmer, Nils Magnus El idioma vasco hablado : un estudio de dialectología euskérica, San Sebastian, 1964.
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Holmer, Nils Magnus The Indian place names in Mexico and Central America Uppsala : Lundequistska bokhandeln, 1964.
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Holmer, N M The Dialects of Co. Clare (part 2), Todd Lecture Series, iom- leabhar 19–20, Royal Irish Academy agus Hodges, Figgis, Baile Átha Cliath, 1965.
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Holmer, Nils M. An Attempt towards a Comparative Grammar of Two Australian Languages. Canberra Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, 1966.
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Holmer, Nils Magnus, Oceanic semantics : a study in the framing of concepts in the native languages of Australia and Oceania, Uppsala : Ludequistska bokhandeln, 1966.
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Holmer, Nils Magnus and Holmer, Vanja E. Stories from two native tribes of Eastern Australia, Upsala : A.-b. Lundequistska bokhandeln, 1969.
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Holmer, Nils Magnus A comparative typological analysis of a New Guinea language, Stockholm : Almqvist & Wiksell Periodicals Co, 1971.
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Holmer, Nils M Notes on the Bandjalang Dialect. Spoken at Coraki and Bungawalbin Creek, N.S.W. Canberra. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies., 197
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Holmer, Nils Magnus. Linguistic survey of South-Eastern Queensland., Canberra : Department of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, 1983.
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Holmer, Nils M. Notes on some Queensland languages, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia : Dept. of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, 1988.
