The alleged Persian-Germanic connection: A Remarkable Chapter in the Study of Persian from the Sixteenth through the Nineteenth Century

The idea that Modern Persian (Farsi) and the Germanic language group (especially Dutch and German) were connected was formulated around the end of the sixteenth century and remained influential, also after the (re)discovery of Sanskrit at the end of the eighteenth century and the foundation of comparative linguistics in the first half of the nineteenth century. This contribution aims at outlining the history of this remarkably persistent idea and will discuss the linguistic arguments used by Western scholars to substantiate these claims. It will show how Western authors compiled lexical parallels between both language groups and how they explored morphological similarities. Rather than casting new light on the history of the Iranian languages and dialects, the article will reveal how the Persian language was studied, received, and even appropriated in Early Modern Europe.status: publishe