Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen

work by Fick

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July 14, 2026

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August Fick's Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen (Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-European Languages) was a pioneering work in Indo-European etymological research. Published in 1868, it was the first comprehensive study to reconstruct the common vocabulary of these languages and attempt to identify their prototype. Fick's research emphasized lexical comparisons between ancient recorded languages, contributing significantly to the field of comparative linguistics. His work helped demonstrate the shared origins of languages like Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, and Germanic, laying groundwork for understanding the historical relationships between many modern languages spoken across Europe and parts of Asia.1234

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August Fick
…major work (1868), later titled Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen (“Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-European Languages”), emphasizing the lexical comparison of ancient recorded languages. Another important work, Die griechischen Personennamen nach ihrer Bildung erklärt . . . (1874; “Greek Proper Names As Explained by Their Formation . . .”), showed…
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…major work (1868), later titled Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen (“Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-European Languages”), emphasizing the lexical comparison of ancient recorded languages. Another important work, Die griechischen Personennamen nach ihrer Bildung erklärt . . . (1874; “Greek Proper Names As Explained by Their Formation . . .”), showed…
Read More