Study programmes

Comparative Linguistics has been an integral part of the humanities for at least two hundred years, as it represents an important approach to the study of human language and culture. Its focus is on the dynamic aspects on language, the diachronic perspective on language and culture. In its methodology, it combines the approach of the classical, philologically oriented Indo-European and Semitic comparative linguistics with the current framework of grammaticalization theory and typology, also incorporating relevant areas of archeology, religious studies, history, and ethnology. Modern comparative linguistics is essential for all synchronic theoretical schools studying the function, dynamics, and evolution and change of linguistic categories, as well as for diachronic typology. The students can further specialize in either Indo-European or Semitic philology and comparative linguistics, as well as in diachronic morphology and phonology, or corpus analysis of ancient languages.