ORIENTAL PHILOLOGY' 



The beginnings of modern comparative grammar date 

 from the studies of the Englishman, Sir William JONES, 

 and the Germans, BOPP and GRIMM. The translation 

 into French by Michel BREAL of Bopp's great systematic 

 work on Indo-European grammar gave a distinct start 

 and direction to linguistic studies in France. Previous 

 investigators had dwelt mostly on the development of 

 the forms of words and too little on that of their logical 

 content. To the latter aspect of the growth of language 

 Breal's "Essai de semantique" (1897) addresses itself, 

 and if it has not already done so - - it seems destined 

 yet to mark an epoch in the history of linguistics. Fer- 

 dinand DE SAUSSURE (1857-1913) taught for a decade 

 at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes, and his work, with that 

 of Breal, has had great influence upon French science. 

 To continue the labors of Breal and de Saussure, MEILLET 

 was called to the College de France. His "Introduction 

 a Fetude comparative des langues indo-europeennes" 

 shows how a rigorously scientific exposition is not incom- 

 patible with the grace of form and charming luminosity 

 that are so characteristic of the French temperament. 

 The work had already come to a third edition in 1912, 

 and we may hope that a long career of continued use- 

 fulness still lies before it. Under his vigorous leadership 

 have arisen pupils of promise and achievement: to 

 mention only a few, DOTTIN in Celtic, VENDRYES in 



1 [Drafting Committee: FRANKLIN EDGERTON, University of 

 Pennsylvania; E. W. HOPKINS, Yale University; C. R. LANMAN, 

 Harvard University. ED.] 



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