F. Max Müller and the Development of Linguistic Science

Kurt R. Jankowsky
Georgetown University
Summary

The article examines the voluminous work of Friedrich Max Müller (18231900), a German scholar who had chosen England as his home in 1846 and lived there for 54 years until his death. Basically a Sanskritist, whose studies, however, spilled over into numerous adjoining disciplines, Müller was both highly praised and severely criticized during his life-time. Almost immediately after his death silence settled upon him.

The author argues that Müller’s outstanding achievements, firmly acknowledged by authoritative critics in his time, should make him important enough for us to study his amazingly wide-ranging work very carefully again. Müller’s contribution to linguistic science and to human knowledge is particularly significant. He began his work in the pioneering stage of linguistics and, for fear of losing sight of the larger framework, deliberately avoided concentrating on one single specialty of study. Instead, starting with books, translations, and editions involving Sanskrit, he enlarged his scope into Indian history, philosophy and religion. He conducted, and published extensively on, comparative studies in philology, religion and mythology and undertook to explore the interrelationship of thought and language. His writings on German literature and his translation of Kant’s “Kritik der reinen Vernunft” were acclaimed as solid accomplishments, no less thorough than his many volumes dealing with a large variety of aspects concerning Indian language, literature, history, and religion.

Müller never thought of himself as a linguist in the technical sense of the word. Instead, he attempted to apply his linguistic knowledge within the larger framework of the “science of man”. He worked to achieve an overall foundation, for which it became necessary to transcend disciplinary boundaries. Such an objective was unavoidably accompanied by the risk of spreading oneself too thin. At least part of the criticism he drew was on that score. The author concludes that, if we would ask not so much for what Müller did as a linguist but what he did for linguistics, we would even today gain significant insights from his work.

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References

A.Publications on Friedrich Max Müller

Brugmann, Karl
(1849–1919). 1893 Review of Müller, Die Wissenschaft der Sprache, 2 vols. (Leipzig: Engelmann 1892–93) Literarisches Centralblatt (17. Juni) 23.889–91.Google Scholar
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1974 Scholar Extraordinary: The Life of Professor the Rt. Hon. Friedrich Max Müller, P.C. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
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(1832–1907). 1900 “Memories of Max Müller”. North American Review 171.884–93.Google Scholar
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(1842–1922). 1874 Review of Müller, Einleitung in die vergleichende Religionswissenschaft (Strassburg: K. J. Trübner 1874) Jenaer Literaturzeitung 29.440–42.Google Scholar
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1959 Die Religionen der Menschheit in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Stuttgart: Reclam.Google Scholar
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1964 New Trends in Linguistics. Stockholm: Naturmetodens Språkinstitut.Google Scholar
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(1827–94). 1868 Review of Müller, On the Stratification of Language (London: Longmans 1868) Atlantic Monthly 22.761–62 (December).Google Scholar
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(1827–94). 1871 Review of Müller, Lectures on the Science of Language, 2 vols., 6th ed. (London: Longmans 1871) North American Review 113.430–41.Google Scholar
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B.Publications by Friedrich Max Müller

Friedrich Max Müller
1844 Hitopadesa: Eine alte indische Fabelsammlung, aus dem Sanskrit zum ersten Mal in das Deutsche übersetzt. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus.Google Scholar
1849–73 Rig-Veda-Samhita, the Sacred Hymns of the Brahmans; together with the Commentary of Sâyanachârya. London: W. H. Allen.Google Scholar
1859 [1853] On Indian Logic. Appendix to William Thomson, An Outline of the Necessary Laws of Thought: A Treatise on Pure and Applied Logic. 4th ed. Cambridge: John Bartlett.Google Scholar
1854 “Letter on the Classification of the Turanian Languages”. Outlines of the Philosophy of Universal History, Applied to Language and Religion, ed. by Christian Charles Josias Bunsen Vol. 3, 281–521. London: Longmans, Brown, Green et al.Google Scholar
1855 Suggestions for the Assistance of Officers in Learning the Languages of the Seat of War in the East. 2nd ed.. London: Longmans. (1st ed. 1854.)Google Scholar
1856 “Comparative Mythology”. Repr. in Chips … II.1–141.Google Scholar
1857 Deutsche Liebe. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus.Google Scholar
1858 The German Classics from the Fourth to the Nineteenth Century: A German reading book containing extracts arranged chronologically. London: Longmans.Google Scholar
1858 “Old German Love-Songs”. Repr. in Chips … 111.51–61.Google Scholar
1859 “Life of Schiller”. Repr. in Chips … III.74–99.Google Scholar
1859 A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature. London: Williams & Norgate.Google Scholar
1961–64 Lectures on the Science of Language. 2 vols. London: Longmans.Google Scholar
1862 On Ancient Hindu Astronomy and Chronology. Oxford.Google Scholar
1864 “On the Language and Poetry of Schleswig-Holstein”. Repr. in Chips … III.116–50.Google Scholar
1866 A Sanskrit Grammar for Beginners. London: Longmans.Google Scholar
1867–75 Chips from a German Workshop. 4 vols. London: Longmans.Google Scholar
1868 On the Stratification of Language. Ibid.Google Scholar
1871 Letters on the War between Germany and France [containing contributions by Max Müller et al.]. London: K. J. Trübner.Google Scholar
1872 Über die Resultate der Sprachwissenschaft. Strassburg: K. J. Trübner.Google Scholar
1873 Introduction to the Science of Religion. London: Longmans.Google Scholar
1873 On Missions. Ibid.Google Scholar
1878 The Origin and Growth of Religion. Ibid.Google Scholar
1879–1910 The Sacred Books of the East. Translated by various Oriental Scholars and ed. by F. M. Müller. 50 vols. Oxford. Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
1881 Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. Translated into English by F. M. Müller. London: Macmillan. (Repr. 1949.)Google Scholar
1882 India: What can it teach us? London: Longmans.Google Scholar
1887a Three Introductory Lectures on the Science of Thought. Ibid.Google Scholar
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1888–92 The Gifford Lectures. 4 vols. Ibid.Google Scholar
1894 Three Lectures on the Vedânta Philosophy. Ibid.Google Scholar
1897 Contributions to the Science of Mythology. 2 vols. Ibid.Google Scholar
1899 The Six Systems of Indian Philosophy. Ibid.Google Scholar
1902 The Life and Letters of the Right Honourable Friedrich Max Müller. (Edited by his wife Georgina Müller). Ibid. (Referred to as L&L).Google Scholar