Johann Severi

Johann Severin Vater (1771 1826) was professor of theology and Oriental languages at Halle, but his wide-ranging linguistic interests included Slavonic and Native North American languages (the latter classified using data provided by Alexander von Humboldt). This book, first published in 1815, describes itself as a bibliography pertaining to 'all the languages of the world'. It is a monument to late eighteenth-century research into languages and linguistics, listing for each of its entries relevant texts with lexicons and grammars of the language in question. It was a valuable resource for nineteenth-century philologists, and its intended reach beyond the German-speaking scholarly world is indicated by the fact that the German text is accompanied by a Latin translation throughout. As well as including many Asian languages, the book recapitulates Vater's research on Native American languages, his knowledge of which was virtually unrivalled in Europe at that time."