An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Author's Preface
AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
On the completion of the present work, it is to me a pleasant duty to express my thanks to all those who have rendered its execution possible, and have helped to give it its new shape.
I might have mentioned, under the separate words, those scholars who have discovered any etymological data bearing upon the vocabulary of our mother-tongue; the vast extent of etymological literature deterred me, however, from doing so. There is no Teutonic scholar or linguist of any repute who has not by his researches either helped to determine the etymology of some German word or actually settled it. It would have been an extremely toilsome and yet useless task to give the name of the discoverer of the etymology of each word; and how frequently have several scholars at the same time deserved credit for clearing up the history of a word. O. Schade, in his “Old German Dictionary,” has with untiring industry collected materials from the copious literature for the older period, and has received the thanks of specialists. I could not expect that those who may use my book would wade through the numerous errors and occasional imperfections of scientific investigation in order to form their own opinion on the evolution of particular words. By foregoing such a plan I obtained space, in spite of the limited compass to which this book was confined, to describe pretty fully the actual development of the word itself.
If my attempt to give a brief, clear, and connected view of the history of each element of our vocabulary has been in any degree successful, a great part of the credit is due to the men who have watched over the germs planted by the great founders of our philology, and have in the course of the last twenty years made them bloom anew. In their foremost ranks I view with pleasure those whose academical instruction I was permitted to enjoy, and others who in friendly intercourse have taught me much and stimulated me in my work. The fact that some of them too have testified their kindly, helpful sympathy with the new edition has been highly grateful to me, in the interest of the subject I have at heart.
I have also received, since the first appearance of my work, encouragement in various ways, even from anonymous and unknown readers of this book, who have made communications to the author respecting dialectic, etymological, and other pertinent facts. Much of it has proved useful for the new edition. Moreover, all reasonable objections of critics have been duly considered. In particular points the book has gained much by the notices of Herren Birlinger, Franck, and Hager; and a detailed, critical letter of my Swedish friends, Prof. A. Noreen and Dr. E. Brate, has placed in the most liberal manner at my disposal numerous valuable improvements and new combinations. For dialectic communications I am indebted to Herren W. Gordack of Königsberg and F. Holthausen of Göttingen, and especially to Prof. Hermann Fischer of Tübingen, who gave me access to his rich stores of Swabian dialectic materials. For the Jewish-German words which the book contains Prof. Euting of Strassburg placed materials at my disposal. Valuable connecting details, for which I had to resort to the liberal help of specialists, I owe to Herren K. von Bahder, O. von Böhtlingk, P. von Bradke, B. ten Brink, K. Brugmann, S. Bugge, C. Cappeller, H. Fischer, W. Franz, F. Holthausen, A. Horning, H. Hübschmann, R. Köhler, Th. Nöldeke, K. Schorbach, O. Schrader, R. Thurneysen, B. Wheeler, and E. Windisch.
I have been especially helped and cheered by the liberal sympathy of Professors A. Leskien of Leipzig, W. Meyer of Jena, H. Osthoff of Heidelberg, and E. Sievers of Halle. They have with praiseworthy liberality made over to me for publication very many new investigations of importance, and have also, by their corrections, objections, and retrenchments, given to many articles a greater fulness and completeness.
For the careful extension and completion of the old Index, the author is much indebted to Herr Vincent Janssen of Kiel, who will very shortly publish independently complete Indexes to this book.
For all the stimulus and sympathy, help and encouragement, I have received in the old as well as in the new edition, I beg to express my most sincere thanks.
Strassburg, July 1883.
Jena, October 1888.