The Most Famous
LINGUISTS from India
Top 3
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Indian Linguists of all time. This list of famous Indian Linguists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Patanjali (-200 - -150)
With an HPI of 69.17, Patanjali is the most famous Indian Linguist. His biography has been translated into 65 different languages on wikipedia.
Patanjali (Sanskrit: पतञ्जलि, IAST: Patañjali, Sanskrit pronunciation: [pɐtɐɲdʑɐli]; also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra) was the name of one or more author(s), mystic(s) and philosopher(s) in ancient India. His name is recorded as an author and compiler of a number of Sanskrit works. The greatest of these are the Yoga Sutras, a classical yoga text. Estimates based on analysis of this work suggests that its author(s) may have lived between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE. An author of the same name is credited with the authorship of the classic text on Sanskrit grammar named Mahābhāṣya, that is firmly datable to the 2nd century BCE, and authorship of medical texts possibly dating from 8th-10th centuries CE. The two works, Mahābhāṣya and Yoga Sutras, are completely different in subject matter, and Indologist Louis Renou has shown that there are significant differences in language, grammar and vocabulary. Before the time of Bhoja (11th century), no known text conflates the identity of the two authors. There has been speculation as to whether the sage Patañjali is the author of all the works attributed to him, as there are a number of known historical authors of the same name. A great deal of scholarship has been devoted over the 20th century to the issue of the historicity or identity of this author or these authors. The view that these were likely different authors is now generally accepted by Western scholars, but "glorification" of Patanjali as singular author of the yoga, grammar, and medical texts "has become an oft-repeated article of faith" "in more traditional circles" and yoga culture. Patanjali is regarded as an avatar of Adi Sesha.
2. Mary Boyce (1920 - 2006)
With an HPI of 54.92, Mary Boyce is the 2nd most famous Indian Linguist. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Nora Elisabeth Mary Boyce (2 August 1920 – 4 April 2006) was a British scholar of Iranian languages and an authority on Zoroastrianism. She was Professor of Iranian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London. The Royal Asiatic Society's annual Boyce Prize for outstanding contributions to the study of religion is named after her.
3. Monier Monier-Williams (1819 - 1899)
With an HPI of 52.42, Monier Monier-Williams is the 3rd most famous Indian Linguist. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Sir Monier Monier-Williams (; né Williams; 12 November 1819 – 11 April 1899) was a British scholar who was the second Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University, England. He studied, documented and taught Asian languages, especially Sanskrit, Persian and Hindustani.
People
Pantheon has 3 people classified as Indian linguists born between 200 BC and 1920. Of these 3, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased Indian linguists include Patanjali, Mary Boyce, and Monier Monier-Williams. As of April 2024, 1 new Indian linguists have been added to Pantheon including Mary Boyce.
Deceased Indian Linguists
Go to all Rankings
Patanjali
200 BC - 150 BC
HPI: 69.17
Mary Boyce
1920 - 2006
HPI: 54.92
Monier Monier-Williams
1819 - 1899
HPI: 52.42
