“German grammar” by I.A. Heym as an example of an academic textbook in the early 19th century

Abstract

The article examines the pedagogical grammar of the German language, “German Grammar” (“Nimetskaya Grammatika”), created by Professor I.A. Heym — a scholar, encyclopedist, public figure, and educator who taught at Moscow Imperial University in the late 18th and early 19th centuries — for students of Russian Imperial gymnasiums and the Free Noble Boarding School. Th e study aims to identify the distinctive features of the book’s structure and content, uncover the language teaching principles reflected within, and analyze the usage of grammatical terms and definitions in both Russian and German. It has been established that I.A. Heym’s work applies several general and specific didactic principles typical of grammar textbooks from that period: systematic presentation of grammatical material, clarity, consideration of the learners’ native language, and an intercultural approach to learning. The abundance of grammatical terms and their definitions is recognized as a significant characteristic of pedagogical grammar as an academic textbook. The article provides examples of terminologization and examines terms whose meanings and forms differ from modern grammatical terminology, highlighting its dynamic nature. The author’s emphasis on clear explanations of grammatical phenomena is evident through the use of various types of definitions (generic-specific, enumerative, non-specific, etc.). Examples of unsystematic definitions and variability in the translations of grammatical terms are viewed as natural indicators of the formation and development of the conceptual and terminological framework of Russian and German grammars, as well as the emergence of early 19th century prototypes of academic textbooks.

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