The Development of Language from the “Thick” to the “Thin” via the Two Historical Vicissitudes of Latin Language: A Concurrent Discussion on Chinese Language and Philosophy of Chinese
Li Zhehan
School of Philosophy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Abstract It is obvious that language is based on human interactions or communications in socio-historical contexts. As a socio-historical phenomenon, language should be viewed through a socio-historical lens rather than through the lens of the inner idling of language itself (which is only a kind of metaphysics of self-reference). Moreover, the role of the language in history is changing based on the process of society towards de-metaphysicalisation, de-ideologisation and positivism. An examination of the historical vicissitudes of language may reveal many underlying important and interesting clues, which are covered by the lens of the inner idling of language itself.Based on Max Weber's methodology of ideal types, we try to develop a framework of theoretical analysis centering on the causal adequacy. In history, sometimes certain values which involve metaphysical or ideological elements are attached to language and some of them are subtracted. Furthermore, the language that are rich in value can be named "thick", and those that are not "thin". Generally speaking, language goes through a process of movement from "thin" to "thick" and then from "thick" back to "thin" in history. This article focuses mainly on the second half of the process (namely from "thick" to "thin"), which goes through a process of de-metaphysicalisation, de-ideologisation and positivisation of both of society and language in general.As a very typical and well-known case in point, two historical vicissitudes of the Latin language play a very important role in explaining this process mentioned above. As being examined in the text, the first rise and fall of the Latin language was accompanied by the rise and fall of the Roman Republic (and Empire later), while the second was based on the rise and fall of the Roman Catholic Church and the after-effects. In addition to external reasons like political, economic, social and religious ones, etc. there are still some internal factors at work such as the complexity and stability of the language itself. As a result of the tendency of de-metaphysicalisation, de-ideologisation and positivisation, the Latin language has inevitably declined and become a kind of "dead" language in the modern world. Its strengths in antiquity have in turn become its weaknesses in the modern times. In this process, some local, national languages began to replace the Latin language within these rising nations. Finally, the English language became the common language (lingua franca) for a number of reasons, such as its practicality and the hegemony of the English-speaking world after World War II.Furthermore, comparing the development of Latin and Chinese in history can help us understand the present state of the Chinese language, and also look to their future. Both understanding and looking are the very important themes of the philosophy of Chinese. Since 1840 the Chinese language has been withdrawing from its old dominant position in the East Asian sphere (the so-called Chinese cultural sphere or Sinosphere), and within these nation states, local, national languages, such as Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese, have risen and replaced the Chinese language. If we try to revive the Chinese language as a common language (lingua franca) in East Asia, and indeed worldwide, we must treat Chinese as a "thin" rather than a "thick" language. The "thick" project actually shares the same logic with the local, national languages, which rose and replaced the Chinese language in these nations. It requires that the Chinese language be more open and flexible by cutting out some of its values in terms of linguistic strategy.
Li Zhehan. The Development of Language from the “Thick” to the “Thin” via the Two Historical Vicissitudes of Latin Language: A Concurrent Discussion on Chinese Language and Philosophy of Chinese[J]. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2023, 53(1): 160-168.
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2023, Vol. 53 
