BEING BETWEEN BODIES : some notes on the origin of language

Andrew Davis, Belmont University

Location

Janet Ayers Academic Center, Room 4094

Presentation Type

Presentation

Start Date

23-9-2024 1:00 PM

Description

The prevailing opinion among linguists and psychologists today is that the origin of language is unknowable and, moreover, is largely unimportant for the study of language. Following a path opened up by French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty in his work from 1945, The Phenomenology of Perception, I will argue that the origin of language is a philosophical problem, discuss why this problem matters, and suggest some things that might move us closer to understanding where language comes from and thus what in the world it might be. We do not need to scry into the depths of time but rather to pay close attention, perhaps uncomfortably close attention, to what children are doing as they learn language and then what exactly we are doing when we take up words rather than some other mode of behavior available to us.

Comments

The Monteverde Lecture

Well-Core Category: Intellectual Wellness

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Sep 23rd, 1:00 PM

BEING BETWEEN BODIES : some notes on the origin of language

Janet Ayers Academic Center, Room 4094

The prevailing opinion among linguists and psychologists today is that the origin of language is unknowable and, moreover, is largely unimportant for the study of language. Following a path opened up by French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty in his work from 1945, The Phenomenology of Perception, I will argue that the origin of language is a philosophical problem, discuss why this problem matters, and suggest some things that might move us closer to understanding where language comes from and thus what in the world it might be. We do not need to scry into the depths of time but rather to pay close attention, perhaps uncomfortably close attention, to what children are doing as they learn language and then what exactly we are doing when we take up words rather than some other mode of behavior available to us.