Abstract
This article argues for a more sophisticated reading of linguistic naturalism, and a new ecological understanding of language's continuous change, in J. G. Herder's Treatise on the Origin of Language. I make the case that Herder's rejection of linguistic "arbitrariness" (Willkürlichkeit) was part of a broader, characteristically Romantic effort to theorize a different kind of linguistic will, distributed among a group or collective. The article ends by suggesting that ideologies contributing to linguistic nationalism for which he is often held accountable actually embody habits of thought that Herder wrote precisely to unravel.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 259-280 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | European Romantic Review |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 3 2016 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- Literature and Literary Theory
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Arbitrary, Natural, Other : J. G. Herder and Ideologies of Linguistic Will. / Wolff, Tristram Nash.
In: European Romantic Review, Vol. 27, No. 2, 03.03.2016, p. 259-280.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Arbitrary, Natural, Other
T2 - J. G. Herder and Ideologies of Linguistic Will
AU - Wolff, Tristram Nash
PY - 2016/3/3
Y1 - 2016/3/3
N2 - This article argues for a more sophisticated reading of linguistic naturalism, and a new ecological understanding of language's continuous change, in J. G. Herder's Treatise on the Origin of Language. I make the case that Herder's rejection of linguistic "arbitrariness" (Willkürlichkeit) was part of a broader, characteristically Romantic effort to theorize a different kind of linguistic will, distributed among a group or collective. The article ends by suggesting that ideologies contributing to linguistic nationalism for which he is often held accountable actually embody habits of thought that Herder wrote precisely to unravel.
AB - This article argues for a more sophisticated reading of linguistic naturalism, and a new ecological understanding of language's continuous change, in J. G. Herder's Treatise on the Origin of Language. I make the case that Herder's rejection of linguistic "arbitrariness" (Willkürlichkeit) was part of a broader, characteristically Romantic effort to theorize a different kind of linguistic will, distributed among a group or collective. The article ends by suggesting that ideologies contributing to linguistic nationalism for which he is often held accountable actually embody habits of thought that Herder wrote precisely to unravel.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84962212857&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10509585.2016.1140044
DO - 10.1080/10509585.2016.1140044
M3 - Article
VL - 27
SP - 259
EP - 280
JO - European Romantic Review
JF - European Romantic Review
SN - 1050-9585
IS - 2
ER -