From Renaissance onwards linguistic interest was mainly oriented towards the historical and

genetic relationship between languages and the systematic material gathering was mostly
connected to religion and Christian worship. Language classification was based on the story of
the Tower of Babel and Hebrew was regarded the oldest language. Other academic disciplines
which discussed different aspects of origin were faced with similar situation - namely, hypothesis
that get along with what is described in the Old Testament. In linguistics, the focus was on the
comparison of vocabularies and structures of modern European languages with Latin, also
followed by examination of human speech and language. Material gathered during 18
th
century
was not united by any directing theory and it handled general theories on the origin and
development of language speculations without data from corresponding languages.
The basis for 19
th
and 20
th
- century typology was established on morphological features. And it
was in 19
th
century when boarders between typology and etymology were established. In focus of
the 19
th
century scholars (mostly Germans) was the comparison of the inflexional and
derivational morphology of Sanskrit and Indo-European languages. Gradually R.K.Rask,
J.Grimm, F. Bopp and W. von Humboldt contributed with their work so that a methodology was
established and detailed exemplification from different languages were now a substitution for a
priori assumptions of the 18
th
century universal grammarians.
Grimm considered the sound shift a general tendency, thus not a necessity and applied Herder's
ideas of specific national spirit connected with language to the historical side of it. These sound
changes made it possible to reconstruct earlier state of grammar and it was Schleicher who
introduced * (astrisk symbol) claiming that the ancestor language could be reconstructed through
systematic comparison of corresponding forms in various sub-families. The linguistic changes
which happened with all 19
th
century scholars were considered to be the turning point and
Sanskrit the nearest language to the original by its morphology. The scholars highlighted the use
of comparative methodology and the process of change as degeneration from primary integrity.
An obvious impact of ruling positivism and darwinism could be seen, also a need to put
linguistics on scientific grounds. Linguistic theory was in line with current evolutionary thoughts,
striving to structural perfection. Schleicher considered his thoughts to be in line with Darwin's
and his subject, language, should be treated by methods of natural science. In biology, he
searched for a scientific model for historical linguistics. Nearly at the same time Bopp wrote that
languages should be regarded as natural organic objects that grow according to definite laws, go
through the phases of development, and in the end perish.
1

Schleicher regarded the current linguistic typology to present the historical stages in the growth
of languages to the culmination of their organization. More flexional structure of classical
languages he described as decline through historical development exemplifying this thesis with
English.
Nevertheless, the main linguistic controversy of the late 19
th
century concerned
Neogrammarians who wanted to make historical linguistic an exact science within natural
sciences, such as geology or physics. They considered sound changes to be based on certain laws,
as they were influenced by the universality of natural laws, realistically devised. They denied the
a priori and speculative ideas of a prehistoric growth and historic decline they did not
acknowledge any linguistic changes. Dialect studies were in their focus and dialect atlases began
to be published during this period. Idealists, another streaming in the late 19
th
century influenced
by Humboldt, considered that each change of language begins with a change in a language of an
individual, which happens consciously. These ideas followed social movements of the time
nationalism and l'art pour l'art.
2


In the beginning of the 19
th
century a new scientific paradigm was coming reflecting new,
modernised society. The modern theoretical and methodological conceptions were brought in
focus both in the field of historical and linguistic activity. Interdisciplinary approach prevailed
and scholars tried to base historical linguistics on evolutionary biology and science in general.
From the 19
th
century afterwards scholars began building up previous work of their predecessors
and criticizing their contemporaries. It was the time when basis for modern linguistics was set up.


1
Robins., R. H., (1990) A Short History of Linguistics (third edition). London: Longman. 200
2
Art for art's sake