PROF. HABIL. DR. PIETRO UMBERTO DINI
Prof. Dr. habil. Pietro Umberto Dini(born on October 5, 1960 in Pietrasanta, Toscana, Italy) is a philologist and linguist specialising in Baltic studies. In 1980-1984 he studied at Pisa University and in 1983- 1984 at Vilnius University. From 1986 to 1987 he carried out an internship at Krakow University and in 1989 in Riga. Later on, he taught Linguistics at the University of Potenza (1988-1995). From 1996 to 1997 professor was awarded with the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung scholarship at the University of Göttingen. In 1997 he taught Baltic Languages at Oslo University. Since 1998 he has been a professor at Pisa University, and head of the Department of Baltic Philology. He was a visiting professor at different universities: in 1998 he took an internship at the University of Illinois in Chicago, in 2000 he taught at the University of California (Los Angeles), in 2007 and 2010 at Vilnius University (at the Department of Lithuanian Studies), in 2006 and 2010 he taught at the University of Frankfurt. Professor gave lectures and presentations in different cities too: in Vilnius, Bialystok, Krakow, Kaunas, Naples, Ferrara, Warsaw, Oslo, Udine, Trento, Rome, Kiev, Riga, Berlin Chicago, Moscow, Budapest, State College, Bologna, Wolfenbüttel, Los Angeles, Turin, Pordenone, Valencia, Frybure, Frankfurt, Pavia, Bone, Lugano, Venice, Madrid, Luxemburg, Pistoia, Vicenza, Villa Vigoni, Paris and others.
His main research interests include historical linguistics of Lithuanian and other Baltic languages, Prussian language, historical linguistics, interactions among Baltic and other Indo-European languages as well as historiography of Baltic linguistics.
He wrote a monograph L’Inno di S. Ambrogio di Martynas Mažvydas (1994), published a monument of written Lithuanian language H. J. Lysius Mažasis katekizmas (1993) and published studies of the history of Baltic languages (1993). He compiled Baltijos žiedas (1991) and together with Prof. Dr. Nikolaj Mikhailov, an anthology of Baltic mythology (1995). Together with Philip Baldi he prepared a set of Studies in Baltic and Indo-European Linguistics In Honor of William R. Schmalstieg (2004). His main work Baltic Languages was published in 1997 in Italian, followed by translations into Lithuanian and Latvian (2000), as well as Russian (2001). Dini’s latest books Foundations of Baltic Languages came out in 2014 and Baltų kalbų lyginamoji istorija in 2019. Professor has published several works in the field of history of Baltic languages: Džiakomas Devotas. Baltistiniai raštai (with Bonifacas Stundžia, 2004), Džiulianas Bonfante. Baltistiniai raštai (with Stundžia, 2008), as well in the field of historiography of Baltic linguistics: Aliletoescvr. Linguistica baltica delle origini. Teorie e contesti linguistici nel Cinquecento (2010), Prelude to Baltic Linguistics: Earliest theories about Baltic languages (2014) and Aliletoescvr. Prie baltų kalbotyros ištakų: teorijos ir jų kalbinė aplinka XVI amžiuje (2023); and in the field of Prussian linguistics: Ins undevd∫che gebracht. Sprachgebrauch und Übersetzungsverfahren im altpreußischen Kleinen Kathechismus (2014). He published W. R. Schmalstieg’s Studies in Old Prussian. A Critical Review of the Relevant Literature in the Field from 1975 until 2005 (2015), Foundations of Old Prussian. Philology and linguistics (2023). Other articles were presented in the book Baltų filologijos studijos. Rinktiniai raštai 1991-2007 (2010). With Mikhailov, Dini became a founder and editor of the international journal of Baltistics Res Balticae (13 volumes were published until 2016); since 2014 he is responsible for the series Studia Baltica Pisana (7 volumes published until 2024). Dini is a member of the Academy of Sciences of Latvia (2004), the Academy of Sciences of Lithuania (2007) and the Academy of Sciences of Göttingen (2010) and doctor h.c. of Vilnius University (2005). In 2002 Dini was awarded the Order of Gediminas, the Lithuanian Presidential Award, in 2010 he was awarded the Medal of the Baltic Academies of Sciences, in 2012 he received the award of the Lithuanian Minister of Culture Carry your truth and believe. He was awarded with Iglesias prize in 1998 (XXXVII Premio Iglesias in Sardinia for the book Baltic languages), in 2002-2003 he was awarded with Wilhelm Friedrich Bessel prize (Wilhelm Friedrich Bessel Forschungspreis), and in 2011 he received the Jānis Endzelīns’ prize. In addition, Dini received the prize of Poezijos pavasaris for translations of Lithuanian poetry and the prize for professionally translated works and popularisation of the Lithuanian language in Italy, Gerald Parks Translation Prize, Club Anthares, Trieste (2012).