Humboldt über das Altchinesische: Hat Chinesisch überhaupt Grammatik?

The research on Old Chinese is part of Wilhelm von Humboldt’s general linguistic research and has made an important contribution to the study of the general characters of human language and to demonstrating the relationship between language and thought. The paper interprets and discusses Wilhelm von Humboldt’s investigations into the grammatical forms of Old Chinese to show how he went from denying any grammar of Chinese to acknowledging the so-called tacit grammar, in which the Chinese script complements the grammar. At the same time, however, his research on ancient Chinese also provides insight into the fact that Chinese is, and should be, accorded immense typological importance by modern general linguistics.