Finding Aid for the Wolf Leslau papers, 1940-1979

Finding aid prepared by Processed by Anne Caiger; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1575
(310) 825-4988
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
© 2003 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.


Title: Wolf Leslau papers
Collection number: 1255
Contributing Institution: UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 4.5 linear ft. (9 boxes. 32 oversize boxes.)
Date: 1940-1979
Abstract: Wolf Leslau (1906- ) was a professor of Hebrew and Semitic linguistics at UCLA (1955-76) and the author of many books. The collection consists of a manuscript with holographic corrections and research materials relating to Leslau's English-Amharic context dictionary (1973) and materials relating to Etymological dictionary of Gurage (Ethiopic) (1979).
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Creator: Leslau, Wolf

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Restrictions on Access

Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.

Provenance/Source of Acquisition

Gift of Wolf Leslau, 1980.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Wolf Leslau Papers (Collection 1255). UCLA LIbrary Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 1973122 

Biography

Leslau was born on November 14, 1906 in Krzepice, Poland; lic. es lett. (1934) and Ph.D (1953), Sorbonne, University of Paris, 1934; diploma, Ecole des Hautes Etudes, 1934; diploma, Ecole Nationale des Langues Orientales, 1935; lecturer in southern Arabic, Ecole des Hautes Etudes, 1936-39; professor of Semitic studies, Ecole Libre des Hautes Etudes (New York City), 1942-46; associate professor, Asia Institute (New York City), 1946-51; associate professor of Near Eastern languages, Brandeis University, 1951-55; professor of Hebrew and Semitic linguistics, UCLA, 1955-76, then professor emeritus; fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; author of many books, including Ethiopic documents: Gurage (1950), Ethiopic and South Arabic contributions to the Hebrew lexicon (1958), Amharic-English and English-Amharic vocabulary (1963), An annotated bibliography of the Semitic languages of Ethiopia (1965), and English-Amharic context dictionary (1973).

Scope and Content

Collection consists of a manuscript with holographic corrections and research materials relating to Wolf Leslau's English-Amharic context dictionary (1973) and materials relating to his Etymological dictionary of Gurage (Ethiopic) (1979).

Related Oral History

The following oral history is available through the UCLA Library Center for Oral History Research:

Organization and Arrangement

Arranged in the following series:
  1. Vol. II Etymological section.
  2. Card file of annotated entries, arranged alphabetically.
  3. Vol. II English-Gurage index.
  4. Manuscript of English-Amharic context dictionary.
  5. Proofs relating to Etymological dictionary of Gurage (Ethiopic).

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Leslau, Wolf--Archives.
University of California, Los Angeles. Dept. of Linguistics--Faculty--Archives.
Amharic language--Dictionaries--Research.
Gurage languages--Dictionaries--Research.
Lexicographers--Archival resources.
Linguists--Archival resources.
Manuscripts for publications.

Boxes 1-28 and 36-41

Materials relating to Etymological Dictionary of Gurage.

Boxes 1-3

vol.2: Etymological Section.

Boxes 4-28

Card file of entries.

Physical Description: Annotated, arranged alphabetically.
Box 4

Agree - backwards.

Box 5

Bad - bed.

Box 6

Bedbug - boil.

Box 7

Boiled - butcher.

Box 8

Butter - Christian.

Box 9

Christmas - cold.

Box 9

Copper - crooked.

Box 10

Crop - difficult.

Box 11

Difficulty - drive (cattle).

Box 12

Drizzle - eighteen.

Box 12

Exhaust - father-in-law.

Box 13

Fatigue - forest.

Box 14

Forest - grandmother.

Box 15

Grasp - hay.

Box 16

He - however.

Box 17

Howl - joyful, be.

Box 18

judge (verb) - lie.

Box 19

Life - master.

Box 19

Milk (continued) - moth.

Box 20

Observe - poison.

Box 21

Pole - remove.

Box 22

Renegade - shimmer.

Box 23

Shin - spirits.

Box 24

Split - suckle.

Box 25

Taste - trouble (verb).

Box 26

Trouble - whoever.

Box 27

Whole - your.

Box 28

vol.2 - English - Gurage index.

Physical Description: Mimeo copy with holograph additions and corrections, 3 post binders.
Boxes 29-35

Manuscript of English-Amharic Context Dictionary [Wiesbaden: 0. Harrassowitz]. [1973].

Physical Description: Ditto copy with holograph additions and corrections, 7 ring binders.
Boxes 36-41

Proofs relating to Etymological Dictionary of Gurage (Ethiopic).

Box 36

vol.1, pp.1-530.

Box 37

vol.1, pp.531-1032.

Box 38

vol.1, pp.1033-end.

Box 38

vol.2, Introduction and pp.1-199.

Box 39

vol.2, pp.200-end.

Box 40

vol.3, Introduction and pp.1-399.

Box 41

vol.3, pp.400-end.