Friedrich Müller (linguist)

Friedrich Müller (December 6, 1834 – May 25, 1898) was an Austrian linguist and ethnologist. He is best known for his contributions to the study of comparative linguistics, particularly in the fields of non-Aryan languages.

Born in Jemnice, Moravia (now in the Czech Republic), Müller studied classical philology and oriental languages at the University of Vienna. He became a professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Linguistics at the University of Vienna in 1866, a position he held until his death.

Müller's most significant work is his multi-volume Grundriss der Sprachwissenschaft (Outline of Linguistics), published between 1877 and 1887. This comprehensive work attempted to provide a systematic classification of all known languages, based on their grammatical structures and vocabularies. Although some of his classifications have since been revised or superseded by more recent research, the Grundriss remains a valuable resource for its breadth of coverage and its influence on the development of linguistic typology.

Müller's research covered a wide range of languages, including those of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. He made important contributions to the study of languages within the Papuan and Australian language families. He also contributed significantly to the ethnological understanding of the peoples who spoke these languages, though his work, like much of 19th-century ethnology, reflects the biases and limitations of the period.

His work emphasized the importance of studying non-Indo-European languages, challenging the prevailing Eurocentric view in linguistics at the time. He argued for the inclusion and understanding of diverse linguistic systems in the broader field of language study.