Studies in the History of the Language Sciences

This book provides a critical edition, translation and commentary of the British Museum Incunabulum C.21.C.52 and the Cambridge Incunabulum 5.J.3.7. of the Quaestiones Alberti. Although the British Museum catalogue ascribes the incunabulum to Albertus Magnus, the authorship is debated.The format of the twenty-one questions of this text follows the standard pattern of the time: after stating the question, the author cites as argumenta opinions with which he does not agree, gives his own answer, and then refutes the argumenta.
For the author of these questions, three issues are paramount: the scientific status of grammar, the problem of universals, and the ''structure of the device'' through which language was generated.