''Essay on the Origin of Languages'' (french: Essai sur l'origine des langues) is an essay by

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revol ...

published posthumously in 1781. Rousseau had meant to publish the essay in a short volume which was also to include essays ''On Theatrical Imitation'' and ''The Levite of Ephraim.'' In the preface to this would-be volume, Rousseau wrote that the ''Essay'' was originally meant to be included in the ''

Discourse on Inequality ''Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men'' (french: Discours sur l'origine et les fondements de l'inégalité parmi les hommes), also commonly known as the "Second Discourse", is a 1755 work by philosopher Jean-Jacques Roussea ...

'', but was omitted because it "was too long and out of place".Victor Gourevitch, ''Rousseau: The Discourses and other early political writings'', Cambridge University Press, 1997, pp. 393–4. The essay was mentioned in Rousseau's 1762 book, ''

Emile, or On Education ''Emile, or On Education'' (french: Émile, ou De l’éducation) is a treatise on the nature of education and on the nature of man written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who considered it to be the "best and most important" of all his writings. Due t ...

''. In this text, Rousseau lays out a narrative of the beginnings of language, using a similar literary form as the Second Discourse. Rousseau writes that language (as well as the human race) developed in southern warm climates and then migrated northwards to colder climates. In its inception, language was musical and had emotional power as opposed to rational persuasion. The colder climates of the north, however, stripped language of its passionate characteristic, distorting it to the present rational form. In the later chapters, this relation is also discussed in terms of music, in ways that resonate with observations that Rousseau makes in his 1753 ''Letter on French Music''. Chapter Nine of the ''Essay'' is an explication of the development of humankind, eventually inventing language. As this format closely adheres to that of the Second Discourse, some have discussed whether one account ought to be read as more authoritative than the other. As the text was initially written in 1754, and was sent to the publisher in 1763, it appears safe to argue that the tensions between the ''Essay'' and the Second Discourse were intentional. The third chapter of

Jacques Derrida Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Élie Derrida; See also . 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was an Algerian-born French philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in numerous texts, and which was developed th ...

's ''

Of Grammatology ''Of Grammatology'' (french: links=no, De la grammatologie) is a 1967 book by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida. The book, originating the idea of deconstruction, proposes that throughout continental philosophy, especially as philosophers en ...

'' critiques and analyzes Rousseau's essay.

References

Sources

*Gourevitch, Victor. ''Rousseau: The Discourses and other early political writings''. Cambridge University Press 1997 *Moran, John H., Gode, Alexander ''On the Origin of Language''. University of Chicago Press 1986 *Derrida, Jacques. Spivak, Gayatri. ''Of Grammatology''. Johns Hopkins Press 1998 18th-century essays Age of Enlightenment Essays published posthumously Philosophy essays Works about the theory of history Works by Jean-Jacques Rousseau {{ling-book-stub