Study Of Georg Von Der Gabelentz And His Chinese Grammar(1881)

Georg von der Gabelentz(1840—1893)wrote one of the very first systematic grammatical introductions of the Chinese language:Chinese Grammar(1881,Leipzig).Although this book builds for the first time in Chnese linguistical history a strict and precise structure of Chinese grammar and contains many surprisingly modern insights,it is not well known in Chinese linguistical and philological world,partially because it was written in German and had never been introduced into China though it was published more than 100 years ago.17 years after Gabelentz a Chinese philologist Ma,Jian-Zhong wrote "MsShi WenTong"(Ma's Grammar,1898,Shanghai)in Chinese based on western grammar.It was positioned as "the first grammar of the Chinese language".Till today it still remains as important reference in every course teaching history of Chinese philology and linguistics in Chinese universities.No student knows about Gabelentz and his Chinese Grammar,even this book is much extensive and scientific than Ma's Grammar.The misson of this dissertaion,however,is not only to introduce Gabelentz and his Chinese Grammar to China.It also attempts to analyze Gabelentz's grammatical concepts and structures based on his philosophy of general linguistics and the influence of 19th-century's development in historical linguistics,language typology,sinology and syntax.My goal is to evaluate Gabelentz and his Chinese Grammar from a new perspective and accord him his deserved position in the academic history of Chinese linguistics.