The article examines the voluminous work of Friedrich Max Müller (18231900), a German scholar who had chosen England as his home in 1846 and lived there for 54 years until his death. Basically a Sanskritist, whose studies, however, spilled over into numerous adjoining disciplines, Müller was both highly praised and severely criticized during his life-time. Almost immediately after his death silence settled upon him.
The author argues that Müller’s outstanding achievements, firmly acknowledged by authoritative critics in his time, should make him important enough for us to study his amazingly wide-ranging work very carefully again. Müller’s contribution to linguistic science and to human knowledge is particularly significant. He began his work in the pioneering stage of linguistics and, for fear of losing sight of the larger framework, deliberately avoided concentrating on one single specialty of study. Instead, starting with books, translations, and editions involving Sanskrit, he enlarged his scope into Indian history, philosophy and religion. He conducted, and published extensively on, comparative studies in philology, religion and mythology and undertook to explore the interrelationship of thought and language. His writings on German literature and his translation of Kant’s “Kritik der reinen Vernunft” were acclaimed as solid accomplishments, no less thorough than his many volumes dealing with a large variety of aspects concerning Indian language, literature, history, and religion.
Müller never thought of himself as a linguist in the technical sense of the word. Instead, he attempted to apply his linguistic knowledge within the larger framework of the “science of man”. He worked to achieve an overall foundation, for which it became necessary to transcend disciplinary boundaries. Such an objective was unavoidably accompanied by the risk of spreading oneself too thin. At least part of the criticism he drew was on that score. The author concludes that, if we would ask not so much for what Müller did as a linguist but what he did for linguistics, we would even today gain significant insights from his work.
(1849–1919). 1893 Review of Müller, Die Wissenschaft der Sprache, 21 vols. (Leipzig: Engelmann 1892–93) Literarisches Centralblatt (17. Juni) 231.889–91.
Chaudhuri, Nirad C.
1974Scholar Extraordinary: The Life of Professor the Rt. Hon. Friedrich Max Müller, P.C. New York: Oxford University Press.
Conway, Moncure Daniel
(1832–1907). 1900 “Memories of Max Müller”. North American Review 1711.884–93.
Delbrück, Berthold
(1842–1922). 1874 Review of Müller, Einleitung in die vergleichende Religionswissenschaft (Strassburg: K. J. Trübner 1874) Jenaer Literaturzeitung 291.440–42.
Glasenapp, Helmuth von
(1891–1963). 1948Die indische Welt als Erscheinung und Erlebnis. Baden-Baden: Hans Bühler jr.
Heiler, Friedrich
1959Die Religionen der Menschheit in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Stuttgart: Reclam.
Hopkins, Edward Washburn
(1857–1932). 1900 “Max Müller”. The Nation 711.343–44.
Kielhorn, Franz
(1840–1908). 1901 “Max Müller”. Nachrichten von der K. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen. Geschäftliche Mitteilungen, 35–39.
Malmberg, Bertil
1964New Trends in Linguistics. Stockholm: Naturmetodens Språkinstitut.
Pott, August Friedrich
(1802–87). 1855a Review of Müller, Suggestions for the Assistance of Officers in Learning the Languages of the Seat of War in the East (London: Longmans 1854) ZDMG 91.275–81.
Pott, August Friedrich
(1802–87). 1855b “Max Müller und die Kennzeichen der Sprachverwandtschaft.” ZDMG 91.405–64.
Saussure, Ferdinand de
(1857–1913). 1972 [1916]Cours de linguistique générale. Ed. by Tullio De Mauro. Paris: Payot.
Schmidt, Siegfried J.
1968Sprache und Denken als sprachphilosophisches Problem von Locke bis Wittgenstein. Den Haag: Nijhoff.
Streitberg, Wilhelm
(1864–1925). 1895 Review of Müller, Die Wissenschaft der Sprache, 21 vols. (Leipzig: Engelmann 1892–93) IF (Anzeiger) 51.8–11.
Whitney, William D(wight
(1827–94). 1865 Review of Müller, Lectures on the Science of Language, Second Series (London: Longmans 1864) North American Review 1001.565–81.
Whitney, William D(wight
(1827–94). 1868 Review of Müller, On the Stratification of Language (London: Longmans 1868) Atlantic Monthly 221.761–62 (December).
Whitney, William D(wight
(1827–94). 1870 “Müller on the Science of Religion”. The Nation 2761.242–44 (October13).
Whitney, William D(wight
(1827–94). 1871 Review of Müller, Lectures on the Science of Language, 21 vols., 6th ed. (London: Longmans 1871) North American Review 1131.430–41.
Whitney, William D(wight
(1827–94). 1892Max Müller and the Science of Language: A criticism. New York: D. Appleton.
Wilson, Horace Hayman
(1786–1860). 1860 Review of Müller, A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, 2nd ed. (London: Longmans 1860) Edinburgh Review, 184–97 (October).
B.Publications by Friedrich Max Müller
Friedrich Max Müller
1844Hitopadesa: Eine alte indische Fabelsammlung, aus dem Sanskrit zum ersten Mal in das Deutsche übersetzt. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus.
Friedrich Max Müller
1849–73Rig-Veda-Samhita, the Sacred Hymns of the Brahmans; together with the Commentary of Sâyanachârya. London: W. H. Allen.
Friedrich Max Müller
1859 [1853]On Indian Logic. Appendix to William Thomson, An Outline of the Necessary Laws of Thought: A Treatise on Pure and Applied Logic. 4th ed. Cambridge: John Bartlett.
Friedrich Max Müller
1854 “Letter on the Classification of the Turanian Languages”. Outlines of the Philosophy of Universal History, Applied to Language and Religion, ed. by Christian Charles Josias Bunsen Vol. 31, 281–521. London: Longmans, Brown, Green et al.
Friedrich Max Müller
1855Suggestions for the Assistance of Officers in Learning the Languages of the Seat of War in the East. 2nd ed.. London: Longmans. (1st ed. 1854.)
Friedrich Max Müller
1856 “Comparative Mythology”. Repr. in Chips … II1.1–141.
Friedrich Max Müller
1857Deutsche Liebe. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus.
Friedrich Max Müller
1858The German Classics from the Fourth to the Nineteenth Century: A German reading book containing extracts arranged chronologically. London: Longmans.
Friedrich Max Müller
1858 “Old German Love-Songs”. Repr. in Chips … 1111.51–61.
Friedrich Max Müller
1859 “Life of Schiller”. Repr. in Chips … III1.74–99.
Friedrich Max Müller
1859A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature. London: Williams & Norgate.
Friedrich Max Müller
1961–64Lectures on the Science of Language. 21 vols. London: Longmans.
Friedrich Max Müller
1862On Ancient Hindu Astronomy and Chronology. Oxford.
Friedrich Max Müller
1864 “On the Language and Poetry of Schleswig-Holstein”. Repr. in Chips … III1.116–50.
Friedrich Max Müller
1866A Sanskrit Grammar for Beginners. London: Longmans.
Friedrich Max Müller
1867–75Chips from a German Workshop. 41 vols. London: Longmans.
Friedrich Max Müller
1868On the Stratification of Language. Ibid.
Friedrich Max Müller
1871Letters on the War between Germany and France [containing contributions by Max Mülleret al.]. London: K. J. Trübner.
Friedrich Max Müller
1872Über die Resultate der Sprachwissenschaft. Strassburg: K. J. Trübner.
Friedrich Max Müller
1873Introduction to the Science of Religion. London: Longmans.
Friedrich Max Müller
1873On Missions. Ibid.
Friedrich Max Müller
1878The Origin and Growth of Religion. Ibid.
Friedrich Max Müller
1879–1910The Sacred Books of the East. Translated by various Oriental Scholars and ed. by F. M. Müller. 501 vols. Oxford. Clarendon Press.
Friedrich Max Müller
1881Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. Translated into English by F. M. Müller. London: Macmillan. (Repr. 1949.)
Friedrich Max Müller
1882India: What can it teach us? London: Longmans.
Friedrich Max Müller
1887aThree Introductory Lectures on the Science of Thought. Ibid.
Friedrich Max Müller
1887bThe Science of Thought. Ibid..
Friedrich Max Müller
1888–92The Gifford Lectures. 41 vols. Ibid.
Friedrich Max Müller
1894Three Lectures on the Vedânta Philosophy. Ibid.
Friedrich Max Müller
1897Contributions to the Science of Mythology. 21 vols. Ibid.
Friedrich Max Müller
1899The Six Systems of Indian Philosophy. Ibid.
Friedrich Max Müller
1902The Life and Letters of the Right Honourable Friedrich Max Müller. (Edited by his wife Georgina Müller). Ibid. (Referred to as L&L).
Cited by
Cited by 4 other publications
Cotticelli Kurras, Paola
2016. Der epistemologische Status der Begriffe „Morphem“ und „Wurzel“ bei Bopp. Historical Linguistics 129:1 ► pp. 170 ff.
Koerner, E. F. K.
2008. Kurt R. Jankowsky. Historiographia Linguistica 35:1-2 ► pp. 5 ff.
Leopold, Joan
1999. Max Müller and the Linguistic Study of Civilization. In The Prix Volney, ► pp. 1 ff.
Sutcliffe, Patricia Casey
2004. Friedrich Max Müller'sLectures on the Science of LanguageMade Silly. Henry Sweet Society for the History of Linguistic Ideas Bulletin 43:1 ► pp. 14 ff.
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