De l’alphabet à l’articulation. L’écriture dans la théorie du langage de Wilhelm von Humboldt

Abstract

In this article, which comes with the translation of Humboldt’s memoir Ueber die Buchstabenschrift und ihren Zusammenhang mit dem Sprachbau, I will start by contextualizing this essay in Humboldt’s work and in a broader framework of contemporary studies on writing. I will then concentrate on the theoretical dimension of the essay. I will first focus on the role Humboldt attributes to writing in language studies as well as on the links he establishes between the types of written signs, the structure of languages and the form of thought. I will then elaborate on his notion of articulation, to conclude with a discussion regarding how Humboldt favors alphabetical writing.

Keywords

• alphabetical script
• articulation
• Chinese writing
• Egyptian hieroglyphs
• hieroglyphs
• languages in the Americas