PROBLEMS IN COMPARATIVE GERMANIC PHILOLOGY 



BY HERMANN COLLITZ 



[Hermann Collitz, Professor of Comparative Philology and German, Bryn Mawr 

 College, b. February 4, 1855, Bleckede, Hannover, Germany. Graduated from 

 the Gymnasium Johanneum at Luneburg, 1875; Post-graduate, University of 

 Gottingen, 1875-79; University of Berlin, 1879-82; A.M. and Ph.D. University 

 of Gottingen, 1879. Privat-docent in Sanskrit and Comparative Philology, 

 University of Halle, 1885-86; Associate Professor, Bryn Mawr, 1886-97. 

 Member of American Dialect Society, Goethe Gesellschaft, American Oriental 

 Society, Litauische Literarische Gesellschaft, and many others. Author of 

 numerous articles and books in German and English. Associate Editor of Modem 

 Language Notes.] 



LIKE other branches of philology, and in fact almost every line of 

 human knowledge, the study of the so-called " Modern Languages " 

 has arisen from humble beginnings, and has originally served purely 

 practical purposes. A characteristic feature, however, of the study of 

 modern languages lies in the fact that it seems to experience greater 

 difficulty than any other branch of philology in outgrowing the ele- 

 mentary stage. It derives its origin from the desire to acquire a living 

 language for the sake of conversation or correspondence, or in order 

 to be able to peruse literary works written in that language. The aim 

 of the study, accordingly, was the practical command of the language 

 in question, and to this very day it seems to be the prevalent opinion 

 in England and the United States that, as regards the study of French 

 and German, our colleges and universities have done their duty, if 

 they convey to their students a practical command of these two 

 languages. 



Under these circumstances stress must be laid on the fact that 

 this popular view entirely misses the real object of modern philology. 

 We shall have to say that a modern language, no less than any other 

 language, becomes an object of scientific research only after the 

 practical acquirement of the language has been accomplished, and 

 that, on the other hand, for the purpose of research work in case of 

 a modern language, no greater amount of practical knowledge is 

 required than, for example, in case of Latin, or Greek, or Sanskrit. 

 There is, for instance, no reason why a scholar who has little or no 

 practice in German conversation should not furnish valuable con- 

 tributions to the history of the German language. 



I am making this statement, not in order to recommend a super- 

 ficial acquisition of German, for a thorough practical knowledge 

 of the language certainly remains desirable, but in order to empha- 

 size the necessity not to lose sight of the higher aims of the study 

 of living languages. From this point of view I should say that it is 



