Linked Knowledge on the History of Philology and Linguistics

Already for quite some time, the correspondence between scholars has been regarded not only as a testimony to the respective personalities involved, but in particular also as a source for better understanding the formation and development of knowledge and, by extension, the sciences. As such, the reception of scholarly epistolary exchanges has factored into studying the history of science as well. The present case is exemplarily dedicated to two linguists and philologists: Hugo Schuchardt in Graz and Gaston Paris in Paris. Both were eminent figures in their fields during the later 19th and early 20th century. Their publications were highly influential in the times of their writing and many still remain significant to this day. Schuchardt managed to establish seemingly peripheral research areas right at the center of scientific attention. With over 770 publications, Schuchardt today is viewed as the founder of creole studies as well as a theoretician of language contact and mixed languages. He wrote in a dozen different languages, including rather exceptional ones like Basque and Georgian, also integrating ethnographic and linguistic data among many other achievements. G. Paris developed still-valid standards for philological and text-editorial work and was the editor of two influential scientific journals. In the second half of the 19th century, an extraordinarily efficient and tightly structured postal service created new media possibilities for information retrieval and exchanging knowledge not unlike what the Internet has been doing since the late 20th century. The present project will review and edit, with comprehensive commentary, the 183 extant letters of the two correspondents between the years 1869 and 1903 a key period for the formation, establishment and institutionalization of modern philological disciplines at European universities. The fact that Schuchardt and G. Paris shared another 175 correspondents with whom each interacted as well albeit rarely with similar intensity shows that already back then an international network of scientific cooperation had evolved. For more than 20 years, this network is being reviewed and recast into a digital format at the University of Graz (the electronic Hugo Schuchardt Archiv, accessible via http://schuchardt.uni-graz.at). To date, already around 8.000 items of correspondence have been critically edited, interlinked and made available for free. The present project specifically aims at incorporating the highly significant and special correspondence of the two above-mentioned researchers into the existing network. In addition, the electronic Hugo Schuchardt Archiv will be connected with the aggregation server CorrespSearch hosted at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, enabling the server in Graz and other similar projects to be integrated and used as a joint research tool.

The importance of scientific correspondence for the development of discourses in the profiling of philological and linguistic disciplines in the late 19th century was illustrated in this project through exchanges between two prominent exponents of their respective fields: the French philologist Gaston Paris, one of the key figures in his field, and the Germano-Austrian linguist Hugo Schuchardt, whose innovative methods and theories had a long-lasting impact on the study of languages. Not only do the divergent developments in philology and linguistics come into focus despite comparable education and starting points, this correspondence also provides a contemporary testimony to the historical of the four decades their correspondence spans. The extensive annotation apparatus contextualizes the individual texts and discussions from both a scientific and cultural-historical perspective. Schuchardt endeavored to transcend these horizons and never tired of placing the periphery at the center of interest. However, theoretical questions, which are precisely the points of contact, also run through the letters. A key theme is the question of phonetic law, of which Schuchardt was one of the strongest opponents. Certain etymologies, such as that of the French trouver, was the subject of years-long dispute between the two, and ultimately is divisive to this day. Late 19th-century positivism, exemplified by the Neogrammarian school, is a current in the letters, and for which Schuchardt's work aimed to serve as a counterweight, deploying the new scientific horizons he opened up. As the founder of creole studies, Schuchardt also took new paths to research, which at that time could only achieve empirical reliability using material gathered through correspondence. In this respect, Paris supported Schuchardt's work by providing contacts to inform him about French Creoles. The breadth of topics raised in the correspondence is considerable, not only for scientific matters but also for political questions. The Dreyfus Affair spans over several years of their exchange, with Schuchardt repeatedly spurring Paris to take action. In this respect, the correspondence is an excellent example of the connection between the humanities and society and constitutes a valuable element of cultural heritage. A central concern of the project has been to make this correspondence accessible and to integrate it into the overall project, the digital Hugo Schuchardt Archive. Over 10,000 letters from a total of around 800 correspondents have been edited, cross-linked and published digitally, resulting in a complex and complete picture of the development of an important phase in the establishment and institutionalization of the humanities. This database opens up numerous points of access for researchers and interested members of the general public. This is freely accessible via the Archive's website (schuchardt.uni-graz.at). A traditional and extensively commented print edition and two scientific events round out the project work.