A Precursor and Successor to William Jones: Marcus Zuerius Boxhorn’s Contribution to the Scythian Theory and Comparative Linguistics

Abstract

In an increasing number of general introductions to historical linguistics, Marcus Zuerius Boxhorn, a seventeenth-century Leiden scholar, is taking William Jones’ place as ‘founding father’ of comparative linguistics. This article focuses on Boxhorn’s investigations into and explanations for the similarities between several European languages and a number of Asian languages, currently known as the Scythian theory. After providing a chronological outline of Boxhorn’s Scythian research endeavours, the article examines what Boxhorn precisely understands by the ‘Scythian language’, which languages are part of the Scythian language family, and how Boxhorn methodologically undergirds his ideas. The article, questioning the urge to designate one specific founding father for the discipline, pays special attention to conceptual and methodological ‘weaknesses’ in Boxhorn’s framework, which tend to be glossed over in recent literature.