Sergei Yakhontov


Sergey Yevgenievich Yákhontov was a Russian linguist, an expert in Chinese, comparative, and general linguistics.
He was the son of astronomer Nataliya Sergeevna Samoilova-Yakhontova, the namesake of the minor planet 1653 Yakhontovia. His daughter Natalia Yakhontova is a well-known Mongolist from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts.
In 1950, Yakhontov graduated from the Oriental Faculty of Leningrad State University. In 1962–1963, he underwent training in Beijing and visited Nanyang University from 1971 to 1972. He taught at the Oriental Faculty of St. Petersburg State University.
Yakhontov studied under Alexander Dragunov and developed on many ideas of his teacher, creating the Leningrad school of Sino-Tibetan linguistics. He published dozens of articles, many translated into English, Chinese, and Japanese. In particular, he made major contributions to Old Chinese phonology, proposing the *l medial and a rounded vowel *o, which led to the six vowel system that is now accepted by most researchers.

Works

  • Яхонтов С.Е.. Категория глагола в китайском языке / Kategorija glagola v kitajskom jazyke . Leningrad: ЛГУ/LGU.
  • *Chinese translation: 雅洪托夫 С. Е. 汉语动词范畴. 北京 : 中华书局. 1958. 188页..
  • Яхонтов С.Е. "Фонетика китайского языка I тысячелетия до н.э.. ", Проблемы востоковедения 2 : 137–147.
  • *translation by Jerry Norman: "Chinese phonology of the first millennium BC", Unicorn 1 : 47–65.
  • Яхонтов С.Е. "Фонетика китайского языка I тысячелетия до н.э.. ", Проблемы востоковедения 6 : 102–115.
  • *translation by Jerry Norman: "The phonology of Chinese in the first millennium BC ", Unicorn 6 : 52–75.
  • Яхонтов С.Е.. "Сочетания согласных в древнекитайском языке ", Труды двадцать пятого международного конгресса востоковедов, Moscow, 9–16 August 1960 г. Moscow: Издательство восточной литературы/Izdatel'stvo vostočnoj literatury. T. 5, 89–95.
  • Яхонтов С.Е.. . Moscow: Издательство "Наука" / Izdatel'stvo 'Nauka'.
  • *translation of chapter 2 by Jerry Norman:, Early China 4 : 37–40.,.
  • 谢・叶・雅洪托夫, 唐作藩 Táng Zuòfān, 胡双宝 Hú Shuāngbǎo. 汉语史论集 . Beijing: Peking University Press..