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Linguistics Theory, Foundations, and Modern Development

An Overview of Linguistics and Linguistic Applications

On the Origins of Linguistics

Spiritualism and Materialism

[ < ] Rationalism, Sciental and Practical

Spiritualism and Materialism

Rousseau (1712-1778 C.E.) rejected the functional-logical point of view in studying language in Essai sur l'Oerigine des Langues, and embraced a functional-spiritual point of view. To Rousseau's ear, language corruption "began when precision took the place of expression" [Verburg in Hymes, 211]. Language quality, to Rousseau, is a function of its musical quality, and is measured by its social effects - a language promotes or does not promote liberty, pity, equality, etc. Unique to Rousseau's view in linguistic studies to that date was the introduction of the listener as an active part of the equation (the speaker operates his or her language on the listener). Further, Rousseau viewed language as a multi-level function; language could carry information on a lower level, but a higher level indicated the social "operation" on the listener - indicating respect, contempt, etc. In perhaps an oblique way, a contemporary of Rousseau, Diderot (1713-1784 C.E.) is responsible for the rise of prescriptive grammars, "by teaching that optimum speech is the exclusive personal competence of a genius" [Verburg in Hymes, 211-212].

Contemporaries of Rousseau did not necessarily view man as a spiritual being, but as a machine or a plant (in particular, de Lametrie in his L'Homme plante and L'Homme machine). Materialism is the necessary counterpart of Rousseau's spiritualism, which generated the underlying groundwork for positivism in linguistics and mechanical linguistics. As in Rousseau's inquiries into language, functionalism was the key to language; rapid stablishment of new disciplines and new specializations within disciplines demanded a closer scrutiny into the purpose of what is [Verburg in Hymes, 212-213].

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