The place of Jan Baudouin de Courtenay in the history of language sciences

Abstract

The ideas of Jan Baudouin de Courtenay are analysed in the article in light of the evolution of language sciences in general. Particular attention is paid to his vision of linguistics and its sub-branches, the notion of the evolution of languages and the distinction between “static” and “dynamic” linguistics. The text also considers the concepts of phoneme and morpheme that are found in the works of this linguist, who can be considered today as one of the “founders” of the linguistics of the XXth century.