Diedrich Westermann

Diedrich Hermann Westermann (Masa 24, 1875 – Damɛ 31, 1956) nye Dzamatɔ mawunyadɔgbedela, Afrikatɔŋutinunyala, kple gbeŋutinunyala. Ekeke Carl Meinhof, eƒe nufiala, ƒe dɔa ɖe enu ŋutɔ hegbugbɔ trɔ asi le eŋu, togbɔ be egbe Meinhof ƒe nufiafia aɖewo le mɔ si me kɔ ko nu hã. Wobu Westermann be enye amesiwo ɖo egbegbe Afrika gbeŋutinunya anyi la dometɔ vevitɔwo dometɔ ɖeka.

Ewɔ gbegbɔgblɔ kple amegbetɔŋutinunya me numekuku geɖe le nuto si tso Senegal yi ɣedzeƒe gome va ɖo Nil Tɔsisi ƒe Dzigbe gome. Eƒe gbeŋutisegbalẽwo ƒo nu tso Afrikagbe vovovowo ŋu, siwo dometɔ aɖewoe nye Eʋegbe, Fɔngbe, Nuergbe, Kpɛlɛɛgbe, Shilukgbe, Hausagbe kple Guanggbe.

Westermann ƒe dɔ si wotsɔ sɔ kple wonɔewo, si wodze egɔme le ƒe 1911 me la, ƒo egbegbe Niger–Congo kple Nilo-Sahara gbegbɔgblɔwo ƒe hatsotso geɖe nu ƒu le gɔmedzedzea me le ŋkɔ Sudangbewo te. Eƒe agbalẽ vevitɔ kekeake si wòŋlɔ emegbe Die westlichen Sudansprachen (Ɣetoɖoƒe Sudangbewo; 1927) ma esiawo me ɖe Ɣedzeƒe kple Ɣetoɖoƒe Sudangbewo me eye wòɖo nusi ava zu Niger–Congo ƒe gɔmeɖoanyi. Le agbalẽ sia kple nyati siwo do ƒome kplii siwo kplɔ wonɔewo ɖo le ƒe 1925 kple 1928 dome me la, Westermann de dzesi ke gbogbo aɖewo siwo dzi wotu míaƒe gɔmesese le Niger–Congo ŋu ɖo eye wògblɔ kpeɖodzi siwo fia be ƒome siwo le eme dometɔ geɖe wɔ ɖeka. Afrikagbe siwo do ƒome kple Joseph Greenberg ƒe hatsotsowo ƒe akpa gãtɔ tso Westermann ƒe agbalẽa me ŋutɔŋutɔ.

Le ƒe 1927 me la, Westermann ŋlɔ Practical Orthography of African Languages (Ŋɔŋlɔdzesi Ŋudɔ na Afrikagbewo), si wova yɔ emegbe be Westermann ƒe nuŋɔŋlɔ. Emegbe la, eŋlɔ Practical Phonetics for Students of African Languages (Gbeɖiɖiŋutinunya Dɔwɔnawo na Afrikagbewo Sukuviwo) si kpɔ ŋusẽ ɖe amewo dzi eye wogbugbɔ tae zi geɖe le kadodo me kple Ida C. Ward (ƒe 1933).

Wodzii le Baden si te ɖe Bremen ŋu eye wòku le afima ke.