History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences

Podcast episode 17: Philipp Wegener and the beginnings of functionalism

Aug 31, 2021

Philipp Wegener, a key figure in the early development of functional linguistics, shares his groundbreaking ideas on language as a dynamic action rather than a simple reflection of thought. He dives into how language directs attention and shapes communication, emphasizing the importance of shared cultural contexts and consciousness in interpreting meaning. Wegener critiques traditional psychological theories and discusses the intricate relationship between language and psychological understanding, ultimately highlighting the evolution of linguistic concepts.

23:54

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Episode guests

Philipp Wegener

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Wegener's assertion that language functions as a form of action emphasizes its role in influencing listener intentions rather than merely conveying static ideas.

His focus on language acquisition highlights the importance of shared situational contexts in communication, illustrating the dynamic nature of linguistic interaction.

Deep dives

Origins of Functionalism in Linguistics

Functionalist approaches in linguistics began to take shape in the 1920s, influenced by earlier scholars like Philipp Wegener, who challenged prevailing ideas about language. Wegener proposed that language is primarily a form of action rather than a mere conduit for thought. He emphasized that communication serves the purpose of influencing the listener’s attention and intentions, a view that contrasts with the notion of language as an expression of static mental representations. By revisiting the contributions of figures like William Dwight Whitney and the Neo-Grammarians, it becomes clear that Wegener's theories revisited and revitalized earlier ideas on the nature and function of language within social contexts.

Intro

5min

The Imperative Nature of Language: Wegener's Perspective on Communication

5min

Exploring Context and Consciousness in Language Interpretation

8min

The Interplay of Language and Psychology: Critiques and Contributions

3min

Understanding Logical Subject and Predicate in Linguistic Context

3min

In this episode, we take a step back to explore the earliest beginnings of functional linguistics as represented by the work of Philipp Wegener.

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References for Episode 17

Primary Sources

Bréal, Michel (1866), ‘De la forme et de la fonction des mots’, Revue des Cours Littéraires de la France et de l’étranger 5 (29 Dec), 65–71. BnF RetroNews
(English trans. in Bréal 1991.)

Bréal, Michel (1868), Les Idées Latentes du Langage, Paris: Hachette. Google Books
(English trans. in Bréal 1991.)

Bréal, Michel (1897), Essai de sémantique (science des significations), Paris: Hachette. archive.org
(Engl. trans.: 1900, Semantics: Studies in the science of meaning, trans. by Nina Cust, London: Heinemann. archive.org)

Bréal, Michel (1991), The Beginnings of Semantics: Essays, lectures and reviews, trans. by George Wolf, London: Duckworth.

Dilthey, Wilhelm (1922 [1883]), Einleitung in die Geisteswissenschaften. Versuch einer Grundlegung für das Studium der Gesellschaft und der Geschichte, vol. 1. Leipzig: Teubner. archive.org

Gabelentz, Georg von der (1869), ‘Ideen zu einer vergleichenden Syntax. Wort- und Satzstellung’, Zeitschrift für Völkerpsychologie und Sprachwissenschaft 6, 367–384. Google Books

Gabelentz, Georg von der (1871), ‘Weiteres zur vergleichenden Syntax. Wort- und Satzstellung’, Zeitschrift für Völkerpsychologie und Sprachwissenschaft 8, 129–165, 300–338. Google Books

Lazarus, M. (1884 [1856–1867]), Geist und Sprache: Eine psychologische Monographie, Berlin: Dümmler.

Paul, Hermann (1885), Review of Wegener (1885), Literarisches Centralblatt für Deutschland 36 (29 August), col. 1230. Google Books

Paul, Hermann (1920 [1880]), Prinzipien der Sprachgeschichte, Halle an der Saale: Niemeyer. archive.org
(English trans.: (1891), Principles of the history of language, trans. H. A. Strong, London: Longmans, Green and co. archive.org)

Steinthal, H. (1871), Abriss der Sprachwissenschaft, 1. Teil, Die Sprache im Allgemeinen. Einleitung in die Psychologie und Sprachwissenschaft. Berlin: Dümmler.

Wegener, Philipp (1885), Untersuchungen über die Grungfragen des Sprachlebens, Halle: Niemeyer. Google Books
(New edition 1991 with introduction by Clemens Knobloch, Amsterdam: Benjamins; [problematic] Engl. trans.: 1971, Speech and Reasons: Language disorder in mental disease. A translation of ‘The Life of Speech’ by Philipp Wegener, trans. by Wilfred D. Abse, Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press.)

Wegener, Philipp (1902), Review of Delbrück (1901) Grundfragen der Sprachforschung, mit Rücksicht auf W. Wundts Sprachpsychologie erörtert, Literarisches Centralblatt 12 (22 March), cols. 401–410.

Wundt, Wilhelm (1900–1920), Völkerpsychologie. Eine Untersuchung der Entwicklungsgesetze von Sprache, Mythos und Sitte, 10 vols., Leipzig: Engelmann.

Ziemer, Hermann (1886), Review of Wegener (1885), Berliner philologische Wochenschrift 6, 181–185.

Secondary Sources

Beiser, Frederick C. (2011), The German Historicist Tradition, Oxford: Oxford University Press. See in particular chap. 8.

Elffers-van Kettel, Els (1991), The Historiography of Grammatical Concepts: 19th and 20th-century changes in the subject-predicate conception and the problem of their historical reconstruction, Amsterdam: Rodopi.

Klautke, Egbert (2013), The Mind of the Nation: Völkerpsychologie in Germany, 1851–1955, New York: Berghahn. See in particular Chap. 1.

Knobloch, Clemens (1988), Geschichte der psychologischen Sprachauffassung in Deutschland von 1850 bis 1920, Tübingen: Niemeyer.

Knobloch, Clemens (1991), Introduction to 1991 edition of Wegener’s Untersuchungen, pp. xi–li, Amsterdam: Benjamins.

Nerlich, Brigitte (1990), Change in Language: Whitney, Bréal, and Wegener, London: Routledge.

Nerlich, Brigitte & David D. Clarke (1996), Language, Action and Context: The early history of pragmatics in Europe and America, 1780–1930, Amsterdam: Benjamins.

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