'Anthropologia dualis'. Ein Annäherungsversuch an Wilhelm von Humboldts Rede "Über den Dualis" im Kontext der Goethezeit

In grammar, the dual denotes pairs of entities that belong together and form a unity. Traditionally dismissed as a marginal phenomenon, the dual became a central issue in Wilhelm von Humboldt's thought. Especially in his treatise "Über den Dualis" (1827), Humboldt set out to chart the empirical occurrences of this form in the languages of the world. He tried to bring the concept of duality into sharper focus as well as the imagery patterns linked to it. Humboldt's contribution has been examined in a number of studies stating the seminal influence on the future developments of linguistics and philosophy. Yet much less attention has been paid to the historical contingency and the specific context in which it was written. This article sets out to survey the cultural history of Humboldt's ideas and to catch sight of the manifold connections whereby his enquiry on the dual crosses the boundaries of linguistics meeting literary practices and anthropological reflexions of its own time.