La vida privada de los signos

Abstract

In this article, we try to consider, from a literary point of view, the two opposite conceptions of language distinguished by epistemologist Ian Hacking under the headings of "private linguists" and "public linguists". The former postulate the existence of a "mental speech" prior to every external manifestation of language. Among them is Bertrand Russell, whose connections with Borges' literature, particularly with one of his imaginary languages, we explore in the first part of the article. According to the second conception of language, which is advocated by public linguists, it is absurd to postulate any language as alien to all forms of community. Public linguists can also be found in Borges’s fiction, and they allow us to explore points of connection with the imaginary languages ​​of another Argentinian writer: Osvaldo Lamborghini.

Keywords

• public linguists
• private linguists
• logically perfect language
• comarqui
• imaginable languages