Antoine Meillet

Paul Jules Antoine Meillet (French: [ɑ̃twan meje]; November 11, 1866, Moulins, Allier – September 21, 1936, Châteaumeillant) was one of the most important French linguists of the early 20th century. Meillet began his studies at the Paris-Sorbonne University, where he was influenced by Michel Bréal, Ferdinand de Saussure, and the members of the L'Année Sociologique. In 1890 he was part of a research trip to the Caucasus, where he studied the Armenian language. After his return, since de Saussure had gone back to Geneva, he continued the series of lectures on comparative linguistics that the Swiss linguist had formerly given.