- This article is about the linguist. For the Hanoverian statesmen, see Duncan Forbes of Culloden. Duncan Forbes (1644 - 1704 was a Scottish politician and supporter of the House of Hanover. For the footballer, see Duncan Forbes (footballer). Duncan Scott Forbes (born 19 June 1941 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish retired former professional footballer. For the Judge, see Duncan Forbes (judge). Duncan Forbes Lord Culloden (1685 &ndash 1747 was a Scottish politician and judge
Duncan Forbes (April 28, 1798–August 17, 1868) was a Scottish linguist. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1798 ( MDCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Year 1868 ( MDCCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Linguistics is the scientific study of Language, encompassing a number of sub-fields
He was born at Kinnaird, Perthshire and brought up by his grandfather from the age of three after his parents and younger brother emigrated to the United States. Kinnaird can refer to Kinnaird Gowrie, village in Gowrie (southern Perthshire Kinnaird Atholl, village in Atholl (northern Perthshire Perthshire ( Siorrachd Pheairt in Gaelic) officially the County of Perth, is a Registration county in central Scotland. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Illiterate until 13, he showed no early signs of linguistic ability, but despite this late start, at age 17 he was appointed schoolmaster of the village of Stralock.
Shortly after this he attended Kirkmichael school followed by Perth Grammar School and the University of St. Andrews, gaining a Masters degree from the latter. The University of St Andrews is the oldest University in Scotland and third oldest in the English-speaking world, having been founded between
In 1823 he took a post at Calcutta Academy, but because of poor health he was forced to return to Europe in 1826. In 1837 he became Professor of Oriental Languages at King's College London and stayed at this post until his retirement in 1861. King's College London is a British Higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the federal University of London. During his time at King's College London he also worked at the British Museum, cataloguing the collection of Persian manuscripts. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London.
During his life he wrote a number of books, and it is for these which he is most remembered. He had a hand in translating or editing a number of books in Urdu, Persian and Arabic, including a translation of Mir Amman's Urdu Bagh o Bahar, or Tales of the Four Darweshes, (which is itself a translation from the Persian of Amir Khusro), and of the Persian Adventures of Hatim Tai. The Tale of the Four Dervishes is a collection of allegorical stories by Amir Khusro in the late 13th century Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn al-Dīn Khusrow ( Hindi: hi अबुल हसन यमीनुद्दीन ख़ुसरो (1253-1325 CE better known as Amīr Khusrow
Partial bibliography
- A New Persian Grammar (1828)
- Adventures of Hatim Tai (1830)
- The Hindustani Manual (1845)
- Bagh o Bahar (The Tale of the Four Dervishes) by Mir Amman (1857)
- A History of Chess (1860)
- The Bengali Reader (1862)
- Arabic Reading Lessons (1864)