Otto von Sadovszky: Difference between revisions
Expand and re-org, adding L2 sections 'Personal life and education', 'Academic career', and L3 'Cal-Ugrian theory'. Add book ref, and CSUF obit which gives exact date of death, and also provides additional info about his academic career. |
Expand part about moving to the States, and the fortuitous discovery of Miwok words that he recognized as similar to Siberian Uralic languages that he knew. |
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Sadovszky was born in [[Hungary]] on July 3, 1925 and grew to maturity there during World War II.<ref name=csuf-obit />. He and his wife Maria raised two children. |
Sadovszky was born in [[Hungary]] on July 3, 1925 and grew to maturity there during World War II.<ref name=csuf-obit />. He and his wife Maria raised two children. |
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Sadovszky received his Ph.L. at Collegium Aloysianum in Italy |
Sadovszky received his Ph.L. at Collegium Aloysianum in Italy. |
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After leaving Europe for the United States to study Sanskrit at [[UC Berkeley]] he met a graduate student in linguistics who was studying [[Miwok languages|Miwok]], and Sadovszky found that he could understand many of the terms from Miwok, a language of the [[Penutian]] group, despite having no training in it, due to the familiarity of many of the terms to [[Uralic]] languages from central [[Siberia]] he had studied earlier in Europe which were related to his native [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]. Sadovszky moved to Los Angeles to continue his graduate studies at [[UCLA]].<ref name=tribute /> |
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After leaving Hungary for the United States, |
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==Academic career== |
==Academic career== |
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Sadovszky taught in Germany, and in the U.S. at [[UC Berkeley]], UCLA, the [[University of Nevada, Reno]] before joining the [[California State University, Fullerton|Cal State Fullerton]] in [[Orange County]] south of Los Angeles in 1971. He continued working there until his retirement in 1994, even after achieving professor emeritus status in 1991.<ref name=csuf-obit /> |
Sadovszky taught in Germany, and in the U.S. at [[UC Berkeley]], UCLA, and the [[University of Nevada, Reno]] before joining the [[California State University, Fullerton|Cal State Fullerton]] in [[Orange County]] south of Los Angeles in 1971. He continued working there until his retirement in 1994, even after achieving professor emeritus status in 1991.<ref name=csuf-obit /> |
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During his tenure as [[professor]] of anthropology at |
During his tenure as [[professor]] of anthropology at CSUF he claimed to have proven that almost 80 percent of the languages spoken by 19 Indian tribes in [[California]] and two nations in [[Siberia]] are related. This became known as the Cal-Ugrian Theory.<ref name=csuf-obit>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Emeritus Professor Otto J. Sadovszky Dies |url=https://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/people/2004/250_sandovszky.html |website=Calstate Fullerton.edu |location= |date=May 17, 2004 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628080436/http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/people/2004/250_sandovszky.html |archivedate=2012-06-28 |accessdate=2014-11-30 }}</ref> |
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===Cal-Ugrian theory=== |
===Cal-Ugrian theory=== |
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The theory describes the relationship between Native American languages in California and languages spoken in Siberia which according to Sadovszky is based on more than 10,000 different words and grammatical traits. The Indian languages were or are spoken in an area along the [[Northern California]] coast from [[Bodega Bay]] to [[Big Sur]]<ref name=magtudin>{{cite web |title=The Discovery of California: Breaking the Silence of the Siberia to America Migrators |last1=Sadovszky |first1=Otto |date=November 1984 |website=Magtudin.org |publisher=Magyarságtudományi Intézet (Institute Of Hungarian Studies) |url=http://www.magtudin.org/otto_sadovszky.htm |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110727055731/http://www.magtudin.org/otto_sadovszky.htm |archivedate=2011-07-27 |accessdate=2014-11-27 |quote= }}</ref> as well as along the [[Sacramento River|Sacramento]] and [[San Joaquin Valley|San Joaquin]] rivers, and by 6,000 [[Mansi people|Mansi]] and 17,000 [[Khanty people|Khanty]], east of the [[Ural Mountains|Urals]].<ref name=tribute>http://www.fullerton.edu/emeriti/_resources/pdfs/tributes/von%20Sadovszky%20Otto%20Tribute.pdf</ref> |
The theory describes the relationship between Native American languages in California and languages spoken in Siberia which according to Sadovszky is based on more than 10,000 different words and grammatical traits. The Indian languages were or are spoken in an area along the [[Northern California]] coast from [[Bodega Bay]] to [[Big Sur]]<ref name=magtudin>{{cite web |title=The Discovery of California: Breaking the Silence of the Siberia to America Migrators |last1=Sadovszky |first1=Otto |date=November 1984 |website=Magtudin.org |publisher=Magyarságtudományi Intézet (Institute Of Hungarian Studies) |url=http://www.magtudin.org/otto_sadovszky.htm |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110727055731/http://www.magtudin.org/otto_sadovszky.htm |archivedate=2011-07-27 |accessdate=2014-11-27 |quote= }}</ref> as well as along the [[Sacramento River|Sacramento]] and [[San Joaquin Valley|San Joaquin]] rivers, and by 6,000 [[Mansi people|Mansi]] and 17,000 [[Khanty people|Khanty]], east of the [[Ural Mountains|Urals]].<ref name=tribute>http://www.fullerton.edu/emeriti/_resources/pdfs/tributes/von%20Sadovszky%20Otto%20Tribute.pdf</ref> |
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One claim of Sadovszky's theory is that the ancestors of some California tribes arrived only 3,000 years ago, which is much more recently than the origin of most tribes in the Americas which according to the generally accepted theory regarding the [[settlement of the Americas]] date their original migrations to around 20,000 years ago across the Bering Strait. In contrast, the migration around 1,000 B.C.E. would have occurred across the Arctic Ocean in summer months and down the American coast.<ref name=latimes>{{cite news |last=Billiter |first=Bill |date=January 1, 1985 |title=3,000-Year-Old Connection Claimed : Siberia Tie to California Tribes Cited |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1985-01-01/local/me-10267_1_tribes |deadurl=no |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128090656/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-01-01/local/me-10267_1_tribes |archivedate=2014-11-28 |accessdate=2014-11-29}}</ref> |
One claim of Sadovszky's theory is that the ancestors of some California tribes arrived only 3,000 years ago, which is much more recently than the origin of most tribes in the Americas which according to the generally accepted theory regarding the [[settlement of the Americas]] date their original migrations to around 20,000 years ago across the Bering Strait. In contrast, the migration around 1,000 B.C.E. would have occurred from the [[Ob river]] delta across the Arctic Ocean in summer months and down the American coast.<ref name=latimes>{{cite news |last=Billiter |first=Bill |date=January 1, 1985 |title=3,000-Year-Old Connection Claimed : Siberia Tie to California Tribes Cited |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1985-01-01/local/me-10267_1_tribes |deadurl=no |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128090656/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-01-01/local/me-10267_1_tribes |archivedate=2014-11-28 |accessdate=2014-11-29}}</ref> |
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'''Criticism''' |
'''Criticism''' |
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The Cal-Ugrian theory was not well accepted in the United States, with some linguists noting that he was not trained in comparative linguistics although he had done some fieldwork among California Indians. As a result, his book was published abroad, and the upshot was that he gained a reputation for his knowledge of Indo-European and Uralic languages but more so in Europe than in the United States. |
The Cal-Ugrian theory was not well accepted in the United States, with some linguists noting that he was not trained in comparative linguistics although he had done some fieldwork among California Indians. As a result, his book was published abroad, and the upshot was that he gained a reputation for his knowledge of Indo-European and Uralic languages but more so in Europe than in the United States. Evidence for a relatively recent marine migration is very limited, but Sadovszky claims that archaeological and other evidence back up the linguistic evidence of his theory but so far there has been little interest in further research in this area. |
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Revision as of 09:48, 1 December 2014
Otto J. von Sadovszky (July 3, 1925 – May 12, 2004) was a Hungarian American anthropologist[1] who worked at California State University, Fullerton in southern California for most of his career until his retirement. He is best known for his linguistic work attempting to link Native American languages of California to languages spoken in Siberia.
Personal life and education
Sadovszky was born in Hungary on July 3, 1925 and grew to maturity there during World War II.[2]. He and his wife Maria raised two children.
Sadovszky received his Ph.L. at Collegium Aloysianum in Italy.
After leaving Europe for the United States to study Sanskrit at UC Berkeley he met a graduate student in linguistics who was studying Miwok, and Sadovszky found that he could understand many of the terms from Miwok, a language of the Penutian group, despite having no training in it, due to the familiarity of many of the terms to Uralic languages from central Siberia he had studied earlier in Europe which were related to his native Hungarian. Sadovszky moved to Los Angeles to continue his graduate studies at UCLA.[1]
Academic career
Sadovszky taught in Germany, and in the U.S. at UC Berkeley, UCLA, and the University of Nevada, Reno before joining the Cal State Fullerton in Orange County south of Los Angeles in 1971. He continued working there until his retirement in 1994, even after achieving professor emeritus status in 1991.[2]
During his tenure as professor of anthropology at CSUF he claimed to have proven that almost 80 percent of the languages spoken by 19 Indian tribes in California and two nations in Siberia are related. This became known as the Cal-Ugrian Theory.[2]
Cal-Ugrian theory
Sadovszky elaborates the Cal-Ugrian theory in his book.[3] The theory describes the relationship between Native American languages in California and languages spoken in Siberia which according to Sadovszky is based on more than 10,000 different words and grammatical traits. The Indian languages were or are spoken in an area along the Northern California coast from Bodega Bay to Big Sur[4] as well as along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, and by 6,000 Mansi and 17,000 Khanty, east of the Urals.[1]
One claim of Sadovszky's theory is that the ancestors of some California tribes arrived only 3,000 years ago, which is much more recently than the origin of most tribes in the Americas which according to the generally accepted theory regarding the settlement of the Americas date their original migrations to around 20,000 years ago across the Bering Strait. In contrast, the migration around 1,000 B.C.E. would have occurred from the Ob river delta across the Arctic Ocean in summer months and down the American coast.[5]
Criticism The Cal-Ugrian theory was not well accepted in the United States, with some linguists noting that he was not trained in comparative linguistics although he had done some fieldwork among California Indians. As a result, his book was published abroad, and the upshot was that he gained a reputation for his knowledge of Indo-European and Uralic languages but more so in Europe than in the United States. Evidence for a relatively recent marine migration is very limited, but Sadovszky claims that archaeological and other evidence back up the linguistic evidence of his theory but so far there has been little interest in further research in this area.
Selected works
- Shamanism past and present, I–II (1989)
- Shamans and Cultures (1993)
- Fish, Symbol and Myth (1995)
- Shamanism in performing arts (1995)
- Vogul folklore (1995)
- The Discovery of California: A Cal-Ugrian Comparative Study (1996)
References
- ^ a b c http://www.fullerton.edu/emeriti/_resources/pdfs/tributes/von%20Sadovszky%20Otto%20Tribute.pdf
- ^ a b c "Emeritus Professor Otto J. Sadovszky Dies". Calstate Fullerton.edu. May 17, 2004. Archived from the original on 2012-06-28. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
- ^ Von Sadovszky, Otto (1996). The discovery of California: a Cal-Ugrian comparative study. ISTOR. Vol. 3. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. ISBN 9789630566308. Retrieved 2014-12-01.
- ^ Sadovszky, Otto (November 1984). "The Discovery of California: Breaking the Silence of the Siberia to America Migrators". Magtudin.org. Magyarságtudományi Intézet (Institute Of Hungarian Studies). Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
- ^ Billiter, Bill (January 1, 1985). "3,000-Year-Old Connection Claimed : Siberia Tie to California Tribes Cited". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2014-11-29.
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- Science Illustrated 10/1985
- "Otto von Sadovszky (1925-2004)", Pre-Columbiana: A Journal of Long-Distant Contacts, 3: 1–3 (Dec. 2003/June & Dec. 2004): 168–69.
- I. Sutton, "The Ob-Ugrian/Cal-Ugrian Connection: Rediscovering The Discovery of California," American Indian Culture and Research Journal, 26(4) 2002: 113–120.