The Spirit of Language in Civilisation: Karl Vossler’s Ethnolinguistic Thinking

Abstract

This article is a critical reflection on the work initiated by Karl Vossler (1872–1949) at the turn of the 20th century, which led to the development of his original conception of language and linguistics research. Vossler represents the anti-positivist trend, on the one hand referring to B. Croce’s aesthetics, while on the other drawing on Hegelian philosophy of spirit and Humboldtian dichotomy of 'ergon and en'ergeia. The year 1925 saw the publication of Vossler’s comprehensive study The Spirit of Language in Civilization, regarded as the sum total of his scholarly activity. Nowadays, Vossler’s conception has almost faded into oblivion. But why were the avant-garde and progressive qualities of his views unrecognised even in his time? Why has Vossler’s conception ended up on the fringes of scientific discourse and is now a mere episode in modern linguistics? By addressing those questions, the present study aims to show the considerable explanatory potential of Vossler’s approach that still, despite the passage of time, can contribute to further research on language and civilisation from the ethnolinguistic viewpoint.