A Contrastive Study of 18th-Century Word-Lists

A pioneering 18th-century comparative linguistics project, involving two extensive word-lists—one compiled by Pallas and another initiated by Empress Catherine II of Russia—remains largely unstudied despite its historical significance. The second list, containing around 445 words in Spanish, was translated into approximately fifty languages but remained confined to Spain's archives. This study provides the first comprehensive overview of these translations, preserved in Seville’s Archivo General de Indias and Madrid’s Real Biblioteca, highlighting the innovative selection criteria, structure, and methodology employed by missionaries during this groundbreaking endeavor.

Fernández Rodríguez, R. (2015). A Contrastive Study of 18th-Century Word-Lists. Historiographia Linguistica, 42(2-3), 315–333. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1075/hl.42.2-3.04fer