"The business, task or object of the scientific study of languages will if possible be 1) to trace the history of all known languages. Naturally this is possible only to a very limited extent and for very few languages"

Ferdinand de Saussure, a seminal figure in the field of linguistics, uses a thought-provoking point of view on the scope and constraints intrinsic within the clinical study of languages. In this quote, Saussure succinctly details a core objective of linguistic research study: to trace the historic development of languages. This venture, however, includes considerable obstacles and restraints.

First, Saussure acknowledges the enthusiastic nature of this job. Tracing the history of all known languages is an overwhelming undertaking, provided the vast variety of languages worldwide and their diverse evolutionary paths. Language is not fixed; it is a vibrant entity that evolves in time due to social, cultural, historical, and interlinguistic interactions. Studying the extensive histories of languages needs substantial resources, including written records, oral customs, and linguistic artifacts, a number of which may not be offered or preserved.

Saussure also points out that achieving an extensive historic tracing is practical just "to a really limited extent and for really few languages". This restriction emerges from different factors, such as the historic documents available for particular languages and not for others. Major languages with comprehensive written records, like Latin, Greek, or Classical Chinese, provide more material for historic analysis than languages mainly gave orally or that have experienced significant linguistic shifts without documents.

Furthermore, many indigenous and lesser-studied languages deal with extinction or absence detailed historical records, thus limiting academic access and research study. The limitations in tracing language history underline the importance of linguistics not just in reconstructing the past however also in preserving the variety of modern languages.

Saussure's quote underscores the inherent intricacies in linguistics' historic research study, stressing both the ambition needed to undertake such a task and the humbleness to recognize its constraints. It urges linguists to stabilize the pursuit of understanding with the acknowledgment of gaps in research study, advocating for the constant expedition of linguistic history within its possible scope.