Olaf Broch

{{Short description|Norwegian linguist (1867–1961)}}

{{use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Olaf Broch

| image = Olaf Broch.jpg

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| birth_date = {{Birth date |1867|8|4|df=y}}

| birth_place = Horten, Norway

| death_date = {{Death date and age |1961|1|28|1867|8|4|df=y}}

| death_place = Oslo

| monuments =

| nationality = Norwegian

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| occupation = Linguist

| years_active =

| employer = University of Oslo

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| relatives = {{ubl|Lagertha Broch (1864–1952), sister | Nanna Broch (1879–1971), sister |Hjalmar Broch (1882–1969), brother}}

| awards = Order of St. Olav (1946)

}}

Olaf Broch (4 August 1867, Horten{{spaced ndash}}28 January 1961, Oslo) was a Norwegian linguist. He was born in Horten, and was a brother of children's writer Lagertha Broch, zoologist Hjalmar Broch, and social worker Nanna Broch. He was a professor of Slavic languages at the University of Oslo from 1900 to 1937. Among his works are Slawische Phonetik from 1911, Håndbok i elementær fonetikk from 1921, and Proletariatets diktatur from 1923. He translated works by Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky into Norwegian. He was decorated Commander of the Order of St. Olav in 1946.{{cite encyclopedia|year=|title=Olaf Broch |encyclopedia=Norsk biografisk leksikon|first=Svein |last=Mønnesland |authorlink= |editor=Helle, Knut |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo |url=http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Olaf_Broch/utdypning |language=Norwegian|accessdate=7 February 2012}}{{cite encyclopedia|title=Olaf Broch |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon|editor-last=Godal | editor-first=Anne Marit | editor-link=Anne Marit Godal |publisher=Norsk nettleksikon|location=Oslo|url=http://www.snl.no/Olaf_Broch|language=Norwegian|accessdate=7 February 2012}}

Broch was a pioneer in the field of Slavic studies in Norway and one of the first scholars to use modern methods to describe the phonetics of Slavic languages.