历史比较语言学(Comparative and historical linguistics)在19世纪的欧洲,它曾控制了整个语言学领域。美国杰出的东方学家威廉·琼斯偶然地注意到了这样一个事实:印度古典语言——梵语,跟拉丁语、古希腊语和法语似乎存在着如同个人与家族之间的那种亲属关系。事后,西方学者证实了其中不容置疑的历史联系,从而成功地建立了谱系学说(Family tree)。一个成功的理论引导出一批优秀的学者。这一时期涌现了不少语言学的巨匠,丹麦的拉斯克(R·Rask)、法国的葆扑(F·Bopp)、施莱赫尔(A·Schleicher)、格里姆(J·Grimm)和法国的梅耶(A·Meillet)等,他们发现了“语音对应规律”,并构拟“一般历史性的公分母”——印欧语的原始形式。他们一直在挖掘已经消失的印欧语系大厦的地基,并试图在这已成废墟的地基上重建印欧语系的语言大厦。他们的成 Comparative and historical linguistics In 19th-century Europe, it controlled the entire field of linguistics. William Jones, the eminent Orientalist in the United States, casually noticed the fact that the classical languages ​​of Sanskrit, Latin, Ancient Greek, and French seem to have the kind of kinship between individuals and families. Afterwards, Western scholars confirmed the undeniable historical connection among them, and succeeded in establishing the Family tree. A successful theory leads to a group of outstanding scholars. Many linguistic masters emerged during this period, including R. Rask of Denmark, F. Bopp of France, A. Schleicher, J. Grimm, And Me · Meillet of France, who found the “law of phonetic correspondence” and formulated “the common historic common denominator” - the primitive form of Indo-European languages. They have been excavating the foundations of the disappearing Indo-European House and trying to reconstruct the language-building of the Indo-European language on the ruined foundation. Their success