Delivered by William Jones to the Asiatic Society of Bengal on 2 February 1786, this address observed that Sanskrit bears to Greek and Latin a resemblance too strong to be accidental, in both grammatical structure and root vocabulary, and proposed that all three, along with Gothic, Celtic and Old Persian, sprang from a common source which perhaps no longer exists. The passage is conventionally cited as the founding moment of comparative philology and, eventually, of Indo-European linguistics as a discipline.
Facts
AuthorWilliam Jones
Publication Year1786
Source TypePrimary Text
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names Latin directly: "that Sanskrit bears to Greek and Latin a resemblance too strong to be accidental, in both grammatical structure and root vocabulary, and proposed that all three, along with Gothic, Celtic and Old..."
This source names Sanskrit directly: "1786, this address observed that Sanskrit bears to Greek and Latin a resemblance too strong to be accidental, in both grammatical structure and root vocabulary, and proposed that all three, along..."
Sources
Claims Backed By This Source (14 claims)
This source backs 14 claims across the atlas. As facts: 7 well-attested. As cited relationships: 5 holds. Plus 2 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Linguists, 6 claims: 2 well-attested, 3 holds, 1 general references.
- Sources, 6 claims: 4 well-attested, 2 holds.
- Language Families, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.