ADELUNG DISCOVERS THE LANGUAGES OF ASIA* George J. METCALF
1. INTRODUCTION.
Johann Christoph Adelung (1732-1806) was the foremost German lexicographer and grammarian of the eighteenth century. The two editions of his dictionary (1774-1786 ; 1793-1801) and his G~ rman grammar for the Prussian schools (1781) had firmly established his reputation. His illustrious successor, Jacob Grimm, even granted him restrained praise in the preface to the Deutsches Worterbuch : «es ist nichtzu verkennen, ein so durchgearbeitetes und beharrlich ausgeführtes werk über die deutsche sprache war noch nicht vorhanden und konnte des günstigen eindrucks nicht verfehlen » (1854, p. xxiü). Called in 1787 to the Electoral Library in D, resden as Oberbibliothekar (and thus earning his much-coveted title «Hofrath » ), Adelung devoted his final years to a very congenial occupation : editing Mithridates, an inventory of some five hundred languages of the world by means of the Lord''s Prayer (1806 ; 1809 ; see Metcalf 1984 : fn 1 for further bibliographical information). His own pleasure in his work was revealed in his comments apparently made with a hint of his impending death : «Es ist das jüngste und wahrscheinlich auch letzte Kind meiner Muse, welches mit aller der Vorliebe genahrt, gekleidet und erzogen worden, deren sich die jüngsten Kinder gewohnlich zu erfreuen h~ ben »
(1806, Vorr, pp. xx-xxi). Adelung died in 1806 after completing the entire first volume and a significant part of the second. Adelung is an excellent example of how theories can influence the interpretation of factual evidence. To make. this clear,
1. Introduction
* ln citations from Adelung, 1 have used italics to represent words or phrases that he marked off, by whatever devices, from the rest of the texte In a few cases, always noted, 1 have used italics for my own emphasis. Since most of the quotations are from Adelung, 1 have omitted his name from the reference where there can be no ambiguity. In a few instances of repeated quotations within a single paragraph, 1 have listed only the page numbers after the first occurrence. -1 owe many thanks to the library at the University of California in Berkeley, which was generous in granting me privileges. The McHenry Library of the University of California in Santa Cruz was likewise helpful.
California in Berkeley, which was generous in granting me privileges. The McHenry Library of the University of California in Santa Cruz was likewise helpful.
