Podcast episode 2: Comparative-historical linguistics – Bopp and Grimm
Jan 31, 2020
Discover the origins of comparative-historical grammar in the 19th century, focusing on the enlightening work of Franz Bopp and Jacob Grimm. Their innovative methodologies reveal connections between Sanskrit and Indo-European languages. Explore the evolution of etymology and how the Grimm brothers shaped German national identity through their research. Uncover the broader intellectual movements that influenced their groundbreaking studies in language, law, and literature.
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Bopp's Conjugation System
Franz Bopp's Conjugation System analyzed verb inflections across languages.
This revealed historical relationships, uniting philosophical and historical linguistics.
insights INSIGHT
Bopp's Analytical Comparison
Bopp innovated by factoring out sound changes (euphony) to reveal underlying word forms.
This allowed comparing similar features across languages for genealogical insights.
insights INSIGHT
Bopp and General Grammar
Bopp, influenced by General Grammar, analyzed verbs as logical propositions (subject, attribute, copula).
He believed underlying structures become obscured by sound changes over time.
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The Deutsches Wörterbuch, a collaborative effort by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, is the first comprehensive dictionary of the German language. It meticulously documents the history of individual words, tracing their etymological origins and illustrating their usage with numerous quotations from various texts. The dictionary's scope and depth are unparalleled, providing invaluable insights into the evolution of the German lexicon. Its creation was a monumental undertaking, reflecting the brothers' dedication to scholarship and their profound understanding of language. The Deutsches Wörterbuch remains a crucial resource for linguists and historians alike.
Uber das Conjugationssystem der Sanskritsprache
Uber das Conjugationssystem der Sanskritsprache
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Franz Bopp
Franz Bopp's "On the Conjugational System" is a seminal work in comparative linguistics, meticulously comparing verb conjugations across various languages. This detailed analysis provided strong evidence for the common ancestry of Indo-European languages. Bopp's work established a rigorous methodology for comparative grammar, moving beyond superficial similarities to uncover deeper structural relationships. His insights revolutionized the understanding of language evolution and laid the foundation for future research in the field. The book's impact continues to be felt in modern linguistics.
Grammaire Générale et Raisonnée
Grammaire Générale et Raisonnée
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Claude Lancelot
Antoine Arnaud
Deutsche Grammatik
Deutsche Grammatik
Jacob Grimm
Jakob Grimm's "Deutsche Grammatik" is a landmark work in historical linguistics, focusing on the Germanic languages. It systematically documents and analyzes sound changes and grammatical developments within this language family. The book established Grimm's Law, a fundamental principle describing regular sound correspondences between Germanic and other Indo-European languages. Grimm's meticulous research and rigorous methodology significantly advanced the field of historical linguistics. His work remains a cornerstone of Germanic linguistic studies.
Über die Sprache und Weisheit der Indier
Über die Sprache und Weisheit der Indier
Friedrich Von Schlegel
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Thomas Kuhn
In 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions', Thomas S. Kuhn argues that scientific progress does not occur through a gradual accumulation of facts, but rather through periodic revolutions that disrupt existing paradigms. Kuhn introduces the concept of 'normal science' and 'revolutionary science', where normal science involves puzzle-solving within an established paradigm, and revolutionary science involves a paradigm shift that fundamentally changes the way scientists view the world. He explains that these revolutions are driven by the accumulation of anomalies that cannot be explained by the current paradigm, leading to a crisis and eventually a new paradigm that offers a different perspective and new ways of conducting research[1][3][5].
In this episode, we look at the emergence of comparative-historical grammar, focusing on the work of Franz Bopp and Jacob Grimm.
Bopp, Franz (1816), Über das Conjugationssystem der Sanskritsprache in Vergleichung mit jenem der griechischen, lateinischen, persischen und germanischen Sprache, Frankfurt am Main: Andräische Buchhandlung. archive.org
Bopp, Franz (1820), Analytical Comparison of the Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, and Teutonic Languages, shewing the origingal identity of their grammatical structure, Annals of Oriental Literature, 1, pp. 1–64. Google Books
Bopp, Franz (1833–1852), Vergleichende Grammatik des Sanskrit, Zend, Griechischen, Lateinischen, Lithauischen, Gothischen und Deutschen, 6 vols, Berlin: Dümmler. Google Books: All vols.
(2nd ed. 1857–1861, Vergleichende Grammatik des Sanskrit, Send, Armenischen, Griechischen, Lateinischen, Litauischen, Altslavischen, Gothischen und Deutschen, 3 vols.)
(English trans.: Edward B. Eastwick, 1845–1853, A Comparative Grammar of the Sanskrit, Zend, Greek, Latin, Lithuanian, Gothic, German, and Sclavonic Languages, London: Madden and Malcolm, 3 vols. Google Books: Vol. 1 [2nd ed., 1856], Vol. 2, Vol. 3 [2nd ed., 1856].)
Grimm, Jacob (1819), Deutsche Grammatik, vol. 1, Göttingen: Dieterich’sche Buchhandlung.
(2nd ed. 1822–1837, Deutsche Grammatik, 4 vols., Göttingen: Dieterich’sche Buchhandlung. Internet Archive: vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4)
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm et al., eds. (1854–1960), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols., Leipzig: Hirzel (et al.). Online version
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812–1815), Kinder- und Hausmärchen, 2 vols., Berlin: Realschulbuchhandlung.
(Six editions in the Grimms’ lifetimes, until 1858.)
Schlegel, August Wilhelm (1847 [1815]), Review of Altdeutsche Wälder, ed. by the Brothers Grimm, in August Wilhelm von Schlegel’s sämmtliche Werke, ed. Eduard Böcking, Leipzig: Weidmann. Bayerische Staatsbibliothek digital
Schlegel, August Wilhelm (1832), ‘Grammatischer Unterschied’, ‘Literarische Scherze’, Museumsalmanach für das Jahr 1832, ed. Amadeus Wendt, p. 321, Leipzig: Weidmann. Google Books
Secondary Sources
Beiser, Frederick C. (2011), The German Historicist Tradition, Oxford: Oxford University Press. See Chap. 5.
Ginschel, Gunhild (1989 [1967]), Der Junge Jacob Grimm: 1805–1819, Berlin: Stuttgart: Hirzel.
Jendreieck, Helmut (1975), Hegel und Jacob Grimm: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Wissenschaftstheorie, Berlin: Erich Schmidt.
Kuhn, Thomas (1962), The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lefmann, Salomon (1891–1897), Franz Bopp, sein Leben und seine Wissenschaft, 2 vols. and Nachtrag. Berlin: Reimer. archive.org: Vol. I, Vol. II, Nachtrag
Morpurgo Davies, Anna (1998), History of Linguistics, vol. 4: Nineteenth-century Linguistics, London: Longman. See Chap. 6.
History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences 