Dr. Ralph de Gorog

Athens - Doctor Ralph de Gorog, Professor Emeritus of Romance Languages at the University of Georgia, a notable scholar of French and Spanish and a pioneer in the use of the computer as an aid in lexical studies.
Dr. de Gorog died after a four-year battle with colon cancer.
As a schoolboy, Ralph de Gorog became fascinated with lexicography after reading Mutiny on the ëBountyí, in which a member of the crew was working on a dictionary, and his early interest in French, Spanish and German, as well as his self-study of Portuguese and wartime study of German and, by means of the Linguaphone method, of Norwegian provided him with ideas for lexicography, which come to fruition during his advanced graduate study at Columbia University with AndrÈ Martinet.
After receiving his doctorate at Columbia University in 1954, Doctor de Gorog published his book, The Scandinavian Element in French and Norman, which followed by La Sinonimia en la Celestina (Anejo 25, Boletiín de la Real Academiía Espanola) and Concordancias del Arcipreste de Talavera (Gredos), both in collaboration with Lisa de Gorog. Two of the lexical works, Lexique francais moderne-ancien francais and Dictionnaire inverse de líancien francais were compiled with the aid of the computer. In addition, there were lengthy vocabulary studies of the works of Gonzalo de Berceo and the Poema de Fernaín Gonzales, both published in the Boletin de la Real Academia Espanola. A bibliography of Portuguese vocabulary studies was published in Luso-Brazilian Review.
Some 50 articles by Dr. de Gorog were published on the attribution of works to certain authors, datings of word origins, as well as sound changes, etymologies, neologisms, onomasiology, etc. His thorough book reviews were valued as real contributions to the fields in question.
Professor Yakov Malkiel wrote in Romance Philology that he knew ìonly of one, namely Ralph de Gorog who, teaming up occasionally with his wife Lisa, has developed remarkable expertiseî in the fields of French and Spanish, ìwith full attention to the older period and to present-day usage.î With the aid of the computer Dr. de Gorog was able to create reverse dictionaries which he realized were sophisticated indices previously available monumental dictionaries, thesauri and concordances as well as lexicons or glossaries leading the reader from a modern language to its medieval stage.
Ralph Paul de Gorog was born in Montreal, Canada on October 6, 1922. He was brought up in New York City, where he graduated from De Witt Clinton High School. He received his A. B. from Columbia College in 1943 and his A. M. from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1947. From 1943 to 1946 he served in the United States Army in England, France and Germany as an interpreter of the Counterintelligence Corps. After the war ended, he was assigned to teaching in the Military Intelligence School at Dreux, France.
In 1946, Ralph de Gorog became a Library Fellow at City College of New York, then Tutor in 1947, Lecturer in 1952, and Instructor in 1955. In 1951-1953 he was Writer-Translator-Producer in Latin-American Broadcasting Service (Voice of America). In 1957 Dr. de Gorog was offered a position at the University of Georgia, where he contributed to the development of the Department of Modern Foreign Languages into a graduate School of French and Spanish. Even after his retirement from teaching in 1984, he contributed as a consultant to many dictionaries, including The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology.
An indication of Dr. de Gorogís wide interests was his love of classical music, an interest he shared with his wife, and his collaboration on her book From Sibelius to Sallinen: Finnish Nationalism and the Music of Finland (1989).
In addition to his wife, Lisa, of 50 years, Dr. de Gorog is survived by a sister, and a brother, both of New York City, three nephews and three nieces.
Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. www.bernsteinfuneralhome.com