Book contents
- Wilhelm von Humboldt and Early American Linguistics
- Wilhelm von Humboldt and Early American Linguistics
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Maps
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Wilhelm von Humboldt and the Americas
- Part II The Early Lives of Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt
- Part III Wilhelm von Humboldt’s Americanist Linguistics
- 6 First Exposure to American Languages at the Vatican Library in Rome and the Significance of Alexander’s American Resources (1803–1808)
- 7 Expansion and Intensification of Humboldtian Americanist Linguistics
- 8 Les langues du Nouveau Continent
- 9 From the Americas to the Pacific
- Part IV Wilhelm von Humboldt’s Impact on Americanist Linguistics and Anthropology
- Part V Wilhelm von Humboldt as an Americanist Linguist and Anthropologist
- Book part
- References
- Index
8 - Les langues du Nouveau Continent
An Early Book on the American Languages in the Making, but Falling Short (1820–1827)
from Part III - Wilhelm von Humboldt’s Americanist Linguistics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 January 2024
- Wilhelm von Humboldt and Early American Linguistics
- Wilhelm von Humboldt and Early American Linguistics
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Maps
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Wilhelm von Humboldt and the Americas
- Part II The Early Lives of Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt
- Part III Wilhelm von Humboldt’s Americanist Linguistics
- 6 First Exposure to American Languages at the Vatican Library in Rome and the Significance of Alexander’s American Resources (1803–1808)
- 7 Expansion and Intensification of Humboldtian Americanist Linguistics
- 8 Les langues du Nouveau Continent
- 9 From the Americas to the Pacific
- Part IV Wilhelm von Humboldt’s Impact on Americanist Linguistics and Anthropology
- Part V Wilhelm von Humboldt as an Americanist Linguist and Anthropologist
- Book part
- References
- Index
Summary
Over the years, Humboldt repeatedly expressed intentions to write a book on American languages. Although he did not follow through with his plans, we can reconstruct to considerable detail what his book would have looked like by building on his “Essai sur les langues du nouveau Continent” and other Americanistic writings. Humboldt’s book would accordingly have included the following major sections: an introduction addressing the comparative-contrastive study of American languages; a unit on their sociohistorical embeddings; a part on historical comparisons (with attention to their phonologies); a section on grammar (with attention to its internal analysis); and a unit on linguistic typology. Another topic might have been language contact. Major samples would have come from Nahuatl, other languages of Mexico (Cora, Tarahumara, Huastec, Totonac, Otomí, and perhaps Yucatec), Quechua and other languages of South America (Araucano [Mapuche], Guaraní, and Muisca), plus Massachusett, Mahican, and Onondaga of northeastern North America.
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- Wilhelm von Humboldt and Early American LinguisticsResources and Inspirations, pp. 144 - 170Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024