"Language speaks" (in the original
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
''Die Sprache spricht'') is a saying by
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th ce ...
. Heidegger first formulated it in his 1950 lecture "Language" (''Die Sprache''),
[Lyon (2006) pp.128-9] and frequently repeated it in later works.
[Philipse (1998) p.205]
Adorno
Theodor W. Adorno ( , ; born Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund; 11 September 1903 – 6 August 1969) was a German philosopher, sociologist, psychologist, musicologist, and composer.
He was a leading member of the Frankfurt School of critica ...
expressed a related idea when he said that language "acquires a voice" and "speaks itself."
The "Language" lecture
The saying was first formulated by Heidegger in the lecture "Language" ("Die Sprache") in memory of
Max Kommerell
Max Kommerell (25 February 1902 – 25 July 1944) was a German literary historian, writer, and poet. A member of the Stefan George circle from 1921 to 1930, Kommerell was a prominent literary critic associated with the Conservative Revolutiona ...
, first delivered on October 7, 1950 at the
Bühlerhöhe building. The lecture was translated in English by
Albert Hofstadter
Albert Hofstadter (March 28, 1910 – January 26, 1989) was an American philosopher.
Life and career
Hofstadter taught at Columbia University (1950–67), the University of California at Santa Cruz (1968–75) and the New School for Social ...
in the 1971 Heidegger collection ''Poetry, Language, Thought''.
["Language", in Heidegger (1971) pp.187-ff]
Quoting
Johann Georg Hamann
Johann Georg Hamann (; ; 27 August 1730 – 21 June 1788) was a German Lutheran philosopher from Königsberg known as "the Wizard of the North" who was one of the leader figures of post-Kantian philosophy. His work was used by his student J. G. ...
's 1784 letter to
Johann Gottfried Herder, Heidegger talks of language as an "
abyss
Abyss may refer to:
* Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld
Film and television
* ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen
* ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...
."
See also
*
Wilhelm von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (, also , ; ; 22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin, which was named afte ...
Notes
References
*Heidegger (1950) "Die Sprache", first published in Heidegger (1959
''Unterwegs zur Sprache''*Heidegger (1971) ''Poetry, Language, Thought'', translation and introduction by
Albert Hofstadter
Albert Hofstadter (March 28, 1910 – January 26, 1989) was an American philosopher.
Life and career
Hofstadter taught at Columbia University (1950–67), the University of California at Santa Cruz (1968–75) and the New School for Social ...
*Lyon, James K
''Paul Celan and Martin Heidegger: an unresolved conversation, 1951-1970''*Philipse, Herman (1998) ''Heidegger's philosophy of being: a critical interpretation''
{{Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger
Philosophical phrases
German words and phrases
1950s neologisms
Quotations from literature
Quotations from philosophy