Gerovsky, Georgii

Gerovsky, Georgii [Геровский, Георгий; Gerovskij, Georgij], b 6 October 1886 in Lviv, d 1959 near Prešov, Czechoslovakia. Linguist specializing in the Transcarpathian dialects, who graduated from the universities of Leipzig and Saratov. He was a grandson of Adolf Dobriansky, whose Russophile tradition he continued. Opposed to Ukrainian being the standard language of the region, Gerovsky promoted Russian and attacked Ivan Pankevych and his Ukrainian grammar (1930). He wrote articles on the history, literature, and language of Transcarpathia and a survey of Transcarpathian dialects in the Czechoslovak compendium Československá vlastivěda (vol 3, 1934), which is rich in factual material but marred by his Russophile views. In his last years Gerovsky taught Russian language and literature at Prešov University.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 2 (1988).]