Johann Andreas Schmeller
Johann Andreas Schmeller (6 August 1785 in Tirschenreuth – 27 September 1852 in Munich) was a German philologist who initially studied the Bavarian dialect. From 1828 until his death he taught in the University of Munich. He is considered the founder of modern dialect research in Germany. His lasting contribution is the four-volume "" (Bavarian Dictionary), which is currently in the process of revision by the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Biography. In 1821, he published "Die Mundarten Bayerns" (Bavarian dialects). This was later supplemented by his "Bayerisches Wörterbuch" (Bavarian dictionary), which appeared in four volumes from  1827 to 1837. Perhaps his most notable publication was the first modern edition of the "Heliand" (1830). He was also the compiler of the "Carmina Burana" (1847), which he named. Schmeller edited the Old High German "Evangelienharmonie" (1841); the "Muspilli" (1832); "Lateinische Gedichte des 10. und 11. Jahrhunderts" (1836); and "Hadamar von Laber's Jagd" (1850). His "Cimbrisches Wörterbuch" was edited by Bergmann in 1855. Schmeller invented the schwa (Ə) for use as the reduced vowel at the end of some German words, and first used it in his 1820s works on the Bavarian dialects.