Wilhelm von Humboldt and the World of Languages

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Humboldt_languages_McNeely.pdf (4.97 MB)

Date

2011-10-06

Authors

McNeely, Ian F.

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Volume Title

Publisher

Ritsumeikan Studies in Language and Culture (Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan)

Abstract

At a time when systematic knowledge of the world’s languages first became possible, Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835) cast language as a vehicle to study the human mind and interpret human cultural difference. Long recognized as a canonical theorist, Humboldt also conducted massive empirical research through a global correspondence network bringing him reports from six continents on dozens of languages. He occupied a brief, fascinating moment in world history just before the globalization of knowledge was reshaped by the professionalization of scholarship.

Description

18 pages

Keywords

Wilhelm von Humboldt world history

Citation

Ritsumeikan Studies in Language and Culture 23 no. 2 (October 2011): 129-47

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/1794/22968

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McNeely, Ian F.