Introduction

The future career of Georg von der Gabelentz (1840–1893) as sinologist and general linguist was in many ways determined by birth. Georg's father, Hans Conon von der Gabelentz (1807–1874), was himself a renowned linguist and created for his children an environment in which they were surrounded by languages – classical and modern, familiar and exotic. Hans Conon eagerly encouraged Georg's early enthusiasm for language study, ultimately inspiring and shaping his son's academic ambitions. Throughout his life, Georg stayed in close contact with his family – his father, mother and siblings – with whom he shared his intellectual passions. In turn, Georg continued the family succession by fostering the linguistic interests of his nephew, Albrecht Graf von der Schulenburg (1856–1902).

In this chapter, we look into the interplay between Georg's linguistics and his family background as revealed in the correspondence and personal reminiscences of Georg and his family members. Our main sources are unpublished correspondence held in the Gabelentz family collection of the ThÜringisches Staatsarchiv (Thuringian State Archives) in Altenburg; a manuscript biography of Georg (Munchhausen, 2013 [1913]) by his sister Clementine von Münchhausen (nèe von der Gabelentz; 1849–1913); a speech Georg gave to the Königlich-Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Royal Saxon Society of Sciences) about Hans Conon's scholarly achievements and the upbringing he afforded his children (Gabelentz, 1886); and family lore passed down orally to the principal author, Annemete von Vogel, greatgranddaughter of Clementine.