F. Max Muller and the Development of Linguistic Science

SUMMARYThe article examines the voluminous work of Friedrich Max Muller (1823-1900), 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, Muller was both highly praised and severely criticized during his life-time. Almost immediately after his death silence settled upon him.The author argues that Muller'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. Muller'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.Muller 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 Muller did as a linguist but what he did for linguistics, we would even today gain significant insights from his work.RESUMELe present article examine l'oeuvre abondante de Friedrich Max Muller (1823-1900), erudit allemand qui, en 1846, choisit de se fixer en Angleterre, ou il vecut 54 ans, jusqu'a sa mort. Au depart specialiste du sanscrit, dont les etudes deborderent toutefois sur de nombreuses disciplines voisines, Muller fut, de son vivant, a la fois tres loue et severement critique. Presque aussitot apres sa mort, le silence se fit sur son nom.L'auteur vise ici a prouver que les travaux considerables de Muller, reconnus sans conteste par la critique qui faisait autorite a l'epoque, devraient en faire un auteur assez important pour qu'on etudie de nouveau avec beaucoup de soin une oeuvre d'une ampleur aussi etonnante. L'apport de Muller a la science du langage et a la connaissance de l'homme est particulierement digne d'interet. Il commenca son oeuvre a l'epoque pionniere de la linguistique et, craignant de perdre de vue un cadre plus large, il evita deliberement de se concentrer sur un domaine d'etude unique: apres des ouvrages, des traductions, des editions qui touchaient au sanscrit, il elargit sa perspective a l'histoire de l'Inde, a sa philosophie et a sa religion. Il mena des etudes comparatives — avec publications abondantes — dans le domaine de la philologie, de la religion et de la mythologie et entreprit d'explorer l'interrelation de la pensee et du langage. Ses ecrits sur la litterature allemande et sa traduction de la Kritik der reinen Vernunft de Kant furent fort loues et consideres comme des travaux tres solides, aussi acheves que ses nombreux volumes traitant d'aspects tres divers de la langue, de la litterature, de l'histoire et de la religion de l'Inde.Muller ne se considera jamais comme un linguiste au sens technique du terme. Il essayait d'appliquer ses connaissances linguistiques a l'interieur du cadre plus large de la "science de l'homme". Il travailla a creer une assise generale, qui obligeait a depasser les frontieres de discipline. Un tel objectif impliquait inevitablement le risque de trop se disperser. C'est sur ce point que porte au moins une partie des critiques qu'il s'attira. Si nous cherchions moins a savoir ce qu'a fait Muller comme linguistique et davantage ce qu'il a fait pour la linguistique, son oeuvre nous ouvrirait encore aujourd'hui des perspectives interessantes.