The resistant embrace of formalism in the work of Émile Benveniste and Aurélien Sauvageot

John Joseph

doi:10.5281/zenodo.2654375

The resistant embrace of formalism in the work of Émile Benveniste and Aurélien Sauvageot

John Joseph

School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Abstract

Rarely claimed by linguists as labels for their own work, structuralist and structuralism have been more often hurled at others as criticisms. Yet those doing the hurling were themselves often pursuing a similarly formalist analysis, and were not averse to claiming their share of the academic capital that structuralism brought to linguistics. Work by Émile Benveniste (1902–1976) and Aurélien Sauvageot (1897–1988) shows different modes of a ‘resistant embrace’ to structuralist formalism, with their resistance centred on a perceived abandonment of attention to phonological and philological detail; and to the role of speakers, a concern that culminates with Benveniste’s concept of enunciation. Their reactions are examined here within the framework of two different ways in which structuralism was conceived, one based on holism, the other on universalism.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Form and Formalism in Linguistics
Editors	James McElvenny
Place of Publication	Berlin
Publisher	Language Science Press
Chapter	6
Pages	141-174
ISBN (Electronic)	9783961101825
ISBN (Print)	9783961101832
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2654375
Publication status	Published - 20 May 2019

Publication series

Name	History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences
Publisher	Language Science Press

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Emile Benveniste
Aurélien Sauvageot
Henri Meschonnic
structuralism
structural linguistics
philology
Claude Lévi-Strauss
Ernst Cassirer

Access to Document

10.5281/zenodo.2654375Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

Joseph2019ResistantEmbraceOfFormalismFinal published version, 225 KBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

http://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/214Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

Alternating sounds and the formal franchise in phonology
McElvenny, J., 20 May 2019, Form and formalism in linguistics. McElvenny, J. (ed.). Language Science Press, p. 35-58
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Open Access
File
Formalism, grammatical rules, and normativity
Pullum, G., 20 May 2019, Form and Formalism in Linguistics. McElvenny, J. (ed.). Berlin: Language Science Press, p. 197-224 (History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Open Access
File
Form and Formalism in Linguistics
McElvenny, J. (Editor), 20 May 2019, Berlin: Language Science Press. 288 p. (History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences)
Research output: Book/Report › Book

Open Access
File

Cite this

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abstract = "Rarely claimed by linguists as labels for their own work, structuralist and structuralism have been more often hurled at others as criticisms. Yet those doing the hurling were themselves often pursuing a similarly formalist analysis, and were not averse to claiming their share of the academic capital that structuralism brought to linguistics. Work by {\'E}mile Benveniste (1902–1976) and Aur{\'e}lien Sauvageot (1897–1988) shows different modes of a {\textquoteleft}resistant embrace{\textquoteright} to structuralist formalism, with their resistance centred on a perceived abandonment of attention to phonological and philological detail; and to the role of speakers, a concern that culminates with Benveniste{\textquoteright}s concept of enunciation. Their reactions are examined here within the framework of two different ways in which structuralism was conceived, one based on holism, the other on universalism.",

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The resistant embrace of formalism in the work of Émile Benveniste and Aurélien Sauvageot. / Joseph, John.
Form and Formalism in Linguistics. ed. / James McElvenny. Berlin: Language Science Press, 2019. p. 141-174 (History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

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KW - philology

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KW - Ernst Cassirer

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The resistant embrace of formalism in the work of Émile Benveniste and Aurélien Sauvageot

Abstract

Publication series

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Research output

Alternating sounds and the formal franchise in phonology

Formalism, grammatical rules, and normativity

Form and Formalism in Linguistics

Cite this