Abaev, Vasilii Ivanovich (1900–2001) Russian linguist. Advocate of Marr's New Theory of Language in the 1920s–1940s. Among his works are publications about Ossetian and Iranian etymology, Ossetian folklore, Iranian studies and general linguistics.
Antonov-Ovseenko, Vladimir (1883–1939) Russian state, Party and Military figure. A revolutionary participant in 1917 and commanded the Ukrainian front in the Civil War. Participated in the Left Opposition 1923–7. Arrested for oppositional activity in 1938 and shot.
Aptekar', Valerian Borisovich (1899–1937) Russian linguist and propagandist of Marr's New Theory of Language. Arrested and shot in 1937.
Avanesov, Ruben Ivanovich (1902–1982) Russian linguist, co-founder of the Moscow Phonological School, along with Nikolai F. Iakolev, Vladimir I. Sidorov and Alexandr A. Reformatskii. Known for his works in Russian phonetics, orthography and dialectology. The author of the first dictionary of Russian pronunciation norms (1950).
Bakhtin, Mikhail Mikhailovich (1895–1975) Russian philosopher and literary theorist.
Bally, Charles (1865–1947) French linguist and co-editor of Saussure's Cours. Bally's book Langage et la Vie was required reading for linguists at ILIaZV in the 1920s.
Bartoli, Matteo (1873–1946) Italian linguist, founder of so-called ‘Neolinguistics’, which mapped the diffusion of linguistic elements between sign communities. Teacher of Antonio Gramsci.
Baudouin de Courtenay, Jan (Ivan Aleksandrovich Boduen de Kurtene, 1845–1929) Polish-Russian linguist. Established the Kazan and the Petersburg Linguistic Schools. Polivanov, Iakubinskii, Larin and Shcherba, inter alia, participated in the latter. He emigrated to Poland in 1918.