"Language speaks" (in the original

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

''Die Sprache spricht'') is a saying by

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th centu ...

. Heidegger first formulated it in his 1950 lecture "Language" (''Die Sprache''),Lyon (2006) pp.128-9 and frequently repeated it in later works.Philipse (1998) p.205

Adorno Theodor W. Adorno ( , ; born Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund; 11 September 1903 – 6 August 1969) was a German philosopher, sociologist, psychologist, musicologist, and composer. He was a leading member of the Frankfurt School of critical ...

expressed a related idea when he said that language "acquires a voice" and "speaks itself."

The "Language" lecture

The saying was first formulated by Heidegger in the lecture "Language" ("Die Sprache") in memory of Max Kommerell, first delivered on October 7, 1950 at the Bühlerhöhe building. The lecture was translated in English by Albert Hofstadter in the 1971 Heidegger collection ''Poetry, Language, Thought''."Language", in Heidegger (1971) pp.187-ff Quoting

Johann Georg Hamann Johann Georg Hamann (; ; 27 August 1730 – 21 June 1788) was a German Lutheran philosopher from Königsberg known as "the Wizard of the North" who was one of the leader figures of post-Kantian philosophy. His work was used by his student J. G. ...

's 1784 letter to

Johann Gottfried Herder Johann Gottfried von Herder ( , ; 25 August 174418 December 1803) was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the Enlightenment, '' Sturm und Drang'', and Weimar Classicism. Biography Born in Moh ...

, Heidegger talks of language as an " abyss."

Notes

References

*Heidegger (1950) "Die Sprache", first published in Heidegger (1959
''Unterwegs zur Sprache''
*Heidegger (1971) ''Poetry, Language, Thought'', translation and introduction by Albert Hofstadter *Lyon, James K
''Paul Celan and Martin Heidegger: an unresolved conversation, 1951-1970''
*Philipse, Herman (1998) ''Heidegger's philosophy of being: a critical interpretation'' {{Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger Philosophical phrases German words and phrases 1950s neologisms Quotations from literature Quotations from philosophy

The "Language" lecture

See also

Notes

References