Wilhelm von Humboldt: Baskische Schriften, Band 2

This volume is part of the complete edition of Wilhelm von Humboldts "Writings on Linguistics" (Schriften zur Sprachwissenschaft), edited by Kurt Mueller-Vollmer, together with Tilmann Borsche, Bernhard Hurch, Jürgen Trabant and Gordon Whittaker. The edition will consist of probably 21 volumes, 6 of which have already appeared or are in print. The other parts of the editorial work are being undertaken within a long-term project funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) under the auspices of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, Berlin. Section II (Basque) is edited by the submitter. The Austrian Science Foundation (FWF) funded the previous research projects and the editorial work. The also must be mentioned the edition within the Graz Project of a volume of previously unpublished manuscripts by other authors on Basque. Manuscripts which originate from Humboldt`s legacy and which have for their empirical and theoretical value a very remarkable impact on the volume presented here for funding. The now presented second volume of the section contains manuscripts which, only with few exceptions, have not been published previously in original. The only relevant edition of Humboldts writings, the Gesammelte Schriften [Collected Works] edited by Albert Leitzmann from 1903-1936, consciously neglected the specialized and strictly scientific works. During World War II parts of these writings seemed to be lost until Mueller-Vollmer re- discovered them in Polish libraries in Cracow and started the initiative of finally publishing the complete linguistic writings. The Basque writings occupy a very specific position withing Humboldt`s oeuvre as the years of his Basque studies frequently are called the period of the formation of his linguistic thought. Basque is the first of - at the end over 3 dozens of non-Indo-European - languages Humboldt was working and writing on. Besides Kawi, there is no language Humboldt has dedicated so much time and energy and on which he has left so many written documents. In this period he develops his empirical approach - also based on his own field research trip to the Basque Country in 1801. He enters the study of the grammar of this language very much in detail. He gains knowledge of new categorical systems, he formulates for the first time principles of diachronic development like grammaticalization, he recognizes and describes typologically different grammatical procedures like agglutination in morphology, etc. One crucial aspect offered and illustrated by these writings on Basque, mostly neglected in the German speaking reception of Humboldts oeuvre, constitutes the influence of the native Basque grammarians on the development of Humboldt`s linguistic thought (especially his contact to P. P. Astarloa). The volume contains the important early sketches, ideas and elaborate manuscripts, the legendary Extract of the (lost) Study Plan de lenguas by Astarloa, which Humboldt had the chance to read and study during his stay at Astarloa`s in Durango; it includes, moreover, the short studies on the agglutination in the auxiliary system of Basque, based on Larramendi and Astarloa. The two voluminous fragments of Basque grammars constitute so to say the center of the volume. They are the pieces Humboldt tried to get together for finishing the Monographical Project on Basque, as he called it. These two manuscripts, which also seemed to be lost, approach grammar from rather different points of view and thus give an important testimony for the development of the grammar project altogether (the encyclopedia of categories). In addition, the volume contains his printed contribution to the 4th volume of the Mithridates (Adelung & Vater 1817) and - in order to follow Humboldt`s text - also the original text on `Cantabric` by Adelung. The so-called word studies report Humboldts dedication to word structures (in lexical, lexicographic, grammatical and semantic, as well as etymological directions), aiming to search the relations to other languages. It is impressive to see how the difference has evolved of what later has been subsumed under genealogical and typological relations. The publishing principles follow the strict criteria of historical-critical editorial work. The delay of the editorial work within the Graz Project is due to the fact that the submitter has acted as Dean of the Faculty and as Vice Dean for Research for over 3 years.