Ancient India: Its Language and Religions

Though this was a depiction of Hindu wisdom that was highly effective due to its visionary perspective, it still lacked objective truth. In contrast, Bopp applied himself more modestly, but with an incomparably deeper understanding and patient insight, to investigating the grammatical structure of Sanskrit. Building on the recognized fact that this language was related to Persian and the main European languages, he established the science of comparative grammar. In the year 1816, his work appeared: The Conjugational System of the Sanskrit Language in Comparison with that of the Greek, Latin, Persian, and Germanic Languages original: Conjugationssystem der Sanskritsprache in Vergleichung mit jenem der griechischen, lateinischen, persischen, und germanischen Sprache.

This was no longer merely an attempt to find random similarities in the sounds of words across related languages. Instead, it was an attempt to trace back not only consistencies but also differences to their established laws. In doing so, he sought to discover the traces of a logic governed by definite principles within the life and growth of these languages, as they sprang from a common root and evolved into a rich complexity.

We can only briefly touch upon the investigations made during the last seventy years, for which Bopp laid the foundation by publishing his work. Rarely has science achieved such astonishing results as it has here. To shed light on the early history of the languages of Homer meaning Ancient Greek and the ancient Italic inscriptions original: "Italian monuments"—before they took the form in which we now find them written—the most unexpected witnesses were brought to testify: namely, the languages of the Hindus, the Germans, and the Slavs.