Dear Colleagues,
I am currently helping a local botanist to investigate the influence of
German plant science on his discipline in the 19th and early 20th
centuries. While in the 19th century a knowledge of German, and indeed a
period of study in Germany, were essential prerequisites to a successful
botanical career, this seems to have ceased to be the case already before
WW1. In this respect botany seems to be out of line with other sciences,
where German influence appears to have continued to be crucial until the
1930s. I am sorry to say 'seems' so often, but our work is still at an
early stage.
I have followed up various references from Ulrich Ammon's work on the use
of German as a scientific language, but these tend to deal mostly with the
period after WWII - when the really dramatic decline in the use of German
sets in. If anyone is aware of work dealing with the earlier part of the
20th century, or with the 19th century, whether about the use of German
language, or about the general influence of German science, I would be very
grateful for any pointers or references. I would be particularly interested
in anything dealing specifically with biological rather than physical
sciences, as they seem to have behaved differently.
Best wishes,
Sheila Watts
___________________________________________________
Dr Sheila Watts
University Lecturer in German
G06 Kennedy Building
Newnham College
Cambridge CB3 9DF
Telephone +44-1223-335816
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