Elements of the Comparative Grammar of the Indo-Germanic Languages, Vol. 1: A Concise Exposition of the History of Sanskrit, Old Iranian (Avestic and Old Persian), Old Armenian, Old Greek, Latin, Umbrian-Samnitic, Old Irish, Gothic, Old High German, Lithu

Excerpt from Elements of the Comparative Grammar of the Indo-Germanic Languages, Vol. 1: A Concise Exposition of the History of Sanskrit, Old Iranian (Avestic and Old Persian), Old Armenian, Old Greek, Latin, Umbrian-Samnitic, Old Irish, Gothic, Old High German, Lithuanian and Old Bulgarian; Introduction and Phonology

At the same time I have not confined myself to stating such results as seem certain to stand for all future timc. I have spoken of many problems that are still unsolved, in order to give the reader not only a survey of what has been already accomplished, but also a glimpse of the work that still remains to be done. This was indispensable in view of the position in which the science of the Indg. Languages at present stands. Thanks to the discovery of many fresh sources of information, and still more, I think, to the fertile combination, which the past ten years have brought about between minute investigation on the one hand and the philosophy of language on the other (the character of which I have endeavoured to sketch in my essay, 'zum heutigen Stand der Sprachwissenschaft' p. 38 new problems to be solved have of late arisen on all sides, and that in such numbers that many decades of work will still be needed to master them, so far as we can reckon that they are to be solved at an) Had I silently passed over all such unsettled questions in the history of the Indg. Languages, the picture of the whole subject which I tried to draw would have been marred by many grievous blanks. But further I hoped to incite the reader to in dependent investigation, by referring to much that has not yet passed the stage of problem and hypothesis. In doing so I have taken care that what is uncertain should not preponderate over what is certain, and should every where be clearly distinguished from it. And if, instead of merely mark ing the phenomenon in question as unexplained I have often hazarded a conjecture, at all events in something like the direction in which the solution of the riddle is to be sought, despite those who resent every 'probably' or 'perhaps' in scientific works, I may quote Goethe's words: 'the opinions you venture, are like the pawns you move forward on the chess-board; they may be taken, but they have introduced a game that will be won'. The conjectures I have admitted into this book should always be regarded only as challenges to more minute investigation.

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