Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Lingua (The Early Romantic Theory of Language: Experimental linguistics around 1800)
Reporting period: 2019-01-01 to 2020-12-31
In my project, I investigated different aspects of the theory of language developed by German early Romanticism between, roughly, 1795 and 1808. Due to its fragmentary status, this theory became never fully known to a broader public, although the early Romantics anticipated many concepts and ideas which became relevant only in the twentieth century. According to this theory, language not only structures our perceptions and emotions, but also constitutes our knowledge, comprising thus all parts of human existence – sciences, arts, society. Language has the capacity to create reality, not just to represent it. Consequently, the early Romantics considered the function of language with regard to such different matters such as truth, personality, political and social processes, education, poetry. Most important, the early Romantics theorized about and experimented with ambiguous, paradoxical, or even contradictory figures that classical logic were unable to deal with. Instead of a static, closed theory, they favored a highly exploratory and open thinking. Complementary, they were among the first who applied methods of historical-comparative grammar. They acknowledged the interdependence between a national identity and a national language and started to investigate the affinity of German with other Germanic languages and cultures (Danish, Old English, Celtic, Gothic, Icelandic etc.).
In natural sciences, but also in some schools of thought in the humanities, the dominating communication model explains language as a mere exchange of information between a sender and a receiver. By reducing language to its logical functions, it is neglected or ignored that language gives us a primary access to the world. The early Romantic theory of language, instead, establishes a holistic view on language. This extended perspective can be applied on several problems that contemporary sciences are dealing with: e. g. intersubjectivity, identity, transformational grammar etc. The early Romantic theory of language offers a supplement or even an epistemological alternative to prevailing scientific models, which is the reason why these ideas should be recovered.
The project pursued two objectives: 1) to give the first written account of this theory by describing its emergence, development, and main ideas, 2) to demonstrate the relevance of these ideas for contemporary philosophy and sciences.
In natural sciences, but also in some schools of thought in the humanities, the dominating communication model explains language as a mere exchange of information between a sender and a receiver. By reducing language to its logical functions, it is neglected or ignored that language gives us a primary access to the world. The early Romantic theory of language, instead, establishes a holistic view on language. This extended perspective can be applied on several problems that contemporary sciences are dealing with: e. g. intersubjectivity, identity, transformational grammar etc. The early Romantic theory of language offers a supplement or even an epistemological alternative to prevailing scientific models, which is the reason why these ideas should be recovered.
The project pursued two objectives: 1) to give the first written account of this theory by describing its emergence, development, and main ideas, 2) to demonstrate the relevance of these ideas for contemporary philosophy and sciences.
During the period of the MC research project I investigated the early Romantic philosophy of language. This work was divided into three different work packages: 1) Linguistic criticism, 2) Symbolic idealism, 3) Linguistic turn. The research results have been published in a scientific article for each work package. I went to the literary archive of the National Library of Austria for archive studies (November 2019). Other research travels have not been possible due to the lockdown caused by Covid.
Along with Christian Benne, Kirk Wetters, and Andrea Albrecht, I have co-organised a conference in Copenhagen ("Wie theoriefähig ist die Frühromantik heute?", 27-29 June 2019). Along with Verónica Galfione, I have co-organised another workshop in Heidelberg ("Abschied vom Individuum? Romantische Konzeptionen von Individualität und ihre Kritik", 14 August 2020). I presented the results of my project at each one of them. The proceedings of the workshop in Heidelberg will be published in 2022, containing the above mentioned fourth article.
Moreover, I organised a workshop ("Philosophy of Language in German Early Romanticism"), which had to be postponed due to Corona. This workshop eventually took place in June 2021. It united some of the most distinguished international scholars in the field. There, I gave another presentation of my research results which will be published in a fifth article. The publication of both an anthology of early Romantic texts on philosophy of language and an anthology of the presentations as outcome of the workshop is planned for 2022.
As part of Christian Benne's research group CEMES, I presented my project for further discussion to the group members and other scholars from the University of Copenhagen. Moreover, I wrote two reviews for scientific journals upon invitation.
I was mentoring a PhD student who is writing his PhD thesis on early Romanticism, and I learned - and still am learning - Danish.
List of publications:
1) 'Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner Wirkungslosigkeit: Überlegungen zur Entstehung der modernen Farce'. Serapion. Zweijahresschrift für europäische Romantik 1 (2020), pp. 121-142.
2) '"Anfang aller Erkenntnis". Theorie und Praxis der Polemik im Kreis der Frühromantiker'. Athenäum. Jahrbuch der Friedrich Schlegel-Gesellschaft 29 (2019), pp. 111-157.
3) 'Tower of Babel: Transcendental Linguistics in Friedrich von Hardenberg’s (Novalis) Fichte Studies'. Open Research Europe [https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.
13218.1]
Along with Christian Benne, Kirk Wetters, and Andrea Albrecht, I have co-organised a conference in Copenhagen ("Wie theoriefähig ist die Frühromantik heute?", 27-29 June 2019). Along with Verónica Galfione, I have co-organised another workshop in Heidelberg ("Abschied vom Individuum? Romantische Konzeptionen von Individualität und ihre Kritik", 14 August 2020). I presented the results of my project at each one of them. The proceedings of the workshop in Heidelberg will be published in 2022, containing the above mentioned fourth article.
Moreover, I organised a workshop ("Philosophy of Language in German Early Romanticism"), which had to be postponed due to Corona. This workshop eventually took place in June 2021. It united some of the most distinguished international scholars in the field. There, I gave another presentation of my research results which will be published in a fifth article. The publication of both an anthology of early Romantic texts on philosophy of language and an anthology of the presentations as outcome of the workshop is planned for 2022.
As part of Christian Benne's research group CEMES, I presented my project for further discussion to the group members and other scholars from the University of Copenhagen. Moreover, I wrote two reviews for scientific journals upon invitation.
I was mentoring a PhD student who is writing his PhD thesis on early Romanticism, and I learned - and still am learning - Danish.
List of publications:
1) 'Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner Wirkungslosigkeit: Überlegungen zur Entstehung der modernen Farce'. Serapion. Zweijahresschrift für europäische Romantik 1 (2020), pp. 121-142.
2) '"Anfang aller Erkenntnis". Theorie und Praxis der Polemik im Kreis der Frühromantiker'. Athenäum. Jahrbuch der Friedrich Schlegel-Gesellschaft 29 (2019), pp. 111-157.
3) 'Tower of Babel: Transcendental Linguistics in Friedrich von Hardenberg’s (Novalis) Fichte Studies'. Open Research Europe [https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.
13218.1]
My project explored multiple aspects of the German early Romantic theory of language. Some of these aspects have been presented so far in three articles. The article 'Anfang aller Erkenntnis' is the first detailed study on the early Romantic theory and practice of polemics. Here, polemics, understood as a specific mode of communication, is situated in its philosophical context, related to its linguistic implications and investigated as a literary strategy with a significant impact on the public discourse around 1800. The article 'Tower of Babel' is the first attempt to reveal the importance of Friedrich von Hardenberg's "Fichte Studies" for the problem of a transcendental language within the context of Idealistic philosophy. By demonstrating how Hardenberg failed to develop such a language, it uncovers parallels to the twentieth century when, for instance, logical positivists such as Ludwig Wittgenstein or Rudolf Carnap pursued similar goals. Hardenberg's further development of his theory, which is subsequently presented in the article, shows again a striking similarity with the evolution of Wittgenstein's thinking. According to the peer reviewers, the paper "constitutes one of the most challenging and certainly the most coherent view on Novalis’ linguistic fragments to this day. There is no doubt that, from now on, scholars will have to reckon with this incisive and brilliant paper" (Augustin Dumont). The "outstanding article provides a very thoughtful, deeply nuanced, and highly enlightening basis" (Felix Christen). The article 'Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner Wirkungslosigkeit' opens a new perspective on the consequences of early Romantic thinking. It shows how, among other reasons, the high expectations put in the poetic potential of language provoked counter-reactions such as the 'farce', a literary genus claiming the futility of art and the impossibility of communication. Other results will be published in two more articles after the end of the project. All these different aspects will be united and presented in a systematic way in a monograph provisionally entitled 'Die frühromantische Theorie der Sprache'. In this book, I will give the first account of the development of early Romantic theory of language.