Oswald John Louis Szemerényi FBA (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈsɛmɛreːɲi]; 7 September 1913 – 29 December 1996) was a Hungarian-British historical linguist and Indo-Europeanist.

When his father returned, he found gainful employment at the Hotel Gellért as the head waiter, due to his exceptional English.

[1][2]: 10  He received his PhD in Indo-European linguistics[1] in 1936 and published his first book publication, Liquid Sonants in Latin, in 1941, edited by Gyula Laziczius [hu].

[2]: 12–13  In October of the same year, he received news that his wife had given birth to his son – Zoltán – who very quickly required a major surgery, leaving him with a massive scar.

[2]: 20  Eventually, he resumed his intellectual pursuits professionally when in 1952, Otto Skutsch requested that he give a course in philology, with the understanding that it would later develop into a teaching post.