These lectures from 1861 introduce the science of language, treating it as a physical science and examining how languages grow and are classified. F. Max Müller surveys comparative grammar, the constituent elements of speech, and theories about the origin of language. They offer a clear window into nineteenth-century linguistic thought.
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Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.
Opening of the book
Lectures on The Science of Language Delivered At The Royal Institution of Great Britain In April, May, and June, 1861. By Max Müller, M. A. Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford; Correspondence Member of the Imperial Institute of France. From the Second London Edition, Revised. New York:
Charles Scribner, 124 Grand Street. 1862 Contents Dedication Preface. Lecture I. The Science Of Language One Of The Physical Sciences. Lecture II. The Growth Of Language In Contradistinction To The History Of Language. Lecture III. The Empirical Stage. Lecture IV. The Classificatory Stage. Lecture V. Genealogical Classification Of Languages. Lecture VI. Comparative Grammar. Lecture VII. The Constituent Elements Of Language. Lecture VIII. Morphological Classification. Lecture IX. The Theoretical Stage, And The Origin Of Language. Appendix. Index. Footnotes
[pg v] Dedication Dedicated To The Members Of The University Of Oxford, Both Resident And Non-Resident, To Whom I Am Indebted For Numerous Proofs Of Sympathy And Kindness During The Last Twelve Years, In Grateful Acknowledgment Of Their Generous Support On The 7th Of December, 1860.
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