Language in Flux: Saussure's Stance on Corruption and Change


We shall thus have to be content to define linguistics from the outside by considering the progressive probings through which it becomes conscious of itself by establishing what is not linguistics, comparison of the child! Such a definition is a peripheral demarcation between linguistics and the other sciences via the connections which linguistics has with these latter, the divergences as well as the contacts.

As Le Maître finished speaking, a brief pause filled the room, signaling his readiness to move on to the next point. My thoughts revisited Professor Malluex's concept of corruption from my time in Paris. Seizing what seemed like the right moment, I asked, "Could you shed some light on the concept of corruption from a linguistics perspective, please? It appears to be an all-pervading phenomenon, especially affecting writing. According to my former professor, some scholars even view writing as a dress of corruption and disguise, a festival mask that must be exorcised. What's your take on this intriguing phenomenon?

He considered the question for a moment and said: We must make an absolute distinction between corruption and change and get rid of the idea of corruption, which has no place in linguistics. The distinctive attribute of a language which is following its natural course is to change; when it stays immobile or almost, then something abnormal is happening.

French, for example, has experienced near immobility for the past two or three centuries, attributed to factors such as widespread literacy, an imposing literature, and authoritative control by the French Academy.

The notion of corruption in language suggests relative immobility measured against an idealized, classical era, deeply rooted in Western thought. Consider Plato's myths, portraying a golden age where language was pure and reflected reality accurately. The narrative suggests a gradual succumbing to corruption, transitioning through silver, bronze, and subsequent ages— a finely crafted myth echoing the idea of linguistic corruption, but a myth after all.

A historical debate between Erasmians and anti-Erasmians on the pronunciation of classical Greek further exposes the inconsistency in the notion of corruption. It challenges the expectation that the pronunciation of Greek should remain unchanged over centuries, highlighting the complexities surrounding linguistic evolution.

Linguists should reject the notion of corruption in favor of recognizing the natural and regular changes that languages undergo. This concept leads to a distorted assessment of dialects and patois, constituting a twofold error. First, there is no inherent corruption, and second, even if corruption were present, it would not exclusively pertain to the French language.

Contrary to the misconception that French and Patois represent a relationship of corruption, the reality is that Latin has evolved into both French and patois through a natural linguistic transformation. Patois isn't a corrupted version of French but a distinct linguistic development stemming from the same Latin origins that gave rise to the French language.

As Saussure concluded the discussion, a sense of clarity filled the room. His words lingered, emphasizing the need to reject the notion of corruption in linguistics. "We must make an absolute distinction between corruption and change and discard the idea of corruption altogether," he stated emphatically. According to him, language's distinctive attribute is its natural inclination to change; immobility signals an abnormality.

He urged linguists to embrace the inevitability of language evolution and reject the misleading concept of corruption. This perspective not only dispelled misconceptions surrounding dialects and writing but also highlighted the fluid nature of linguistic changes. As our dialogue concluded, I realized that Saussure wasn't just teaching linguistics; he was instilling a profound understanding of the dynamic, ever-changing essence of language.

Bibliography

De Saussure, Ferdinand. Premier Cours de Linguistique Générale (1907): D'après les Cahiers d'Albert Riedlinger. Saussure's First Course of Lectures on General Linguistics (1907): From the Notebooks of Albert Riedlinger. Edited by Eisuke Komatsu. Translated by George Wolf. Tokyo: Gakushuin University, 1996. Pergamon.

Derrida, Jacques. Of Grammatology. Corrected Edition. Translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. Copyright © 1974, 1976, 1997 by The Johns Hopkins University Press

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