The study of Russian historical linguistics in 1870s actively developed under the influence of Western historical linguists. In order to understand the history of the Russian diachronic study, it is important to investigate the theoretical movements of the period in Russia. Thus, this paper aims to explore the accomplishments of Moscow and Kazan schools, and make a comparison with the Neogrammarians from Germany. Moscow and Kazan schools appeared under the high influence of the historical comparative linguistics from the West. Moscow school developed as a historical linguistic group and produced numerous leading scholars in Russia, while Kazan school maintained for approximately 20 years only. However, Baudouin de Courtenay, the leader of Kazan school, earned a reputation from Western scholars for his brilliant general linguistic concepts. Moreover, he developed his own theory differentiated from Neogrammarians’. On the other hand, Fortunatov as the founder of Moscow linguistic school accepted Saussure’s linguistic theories, and later they influenced Roman Jakobson’s method of a linguistic approach.
1. Introduction
2. Kazan school vs. Moscow school
3. The relation with Neogrammarians
4. Conclusion