Rethinking Niklas Luhmann’s theory of the phylogenesis and ontogenesis of language in light of systemic-functional linguistics

Abstract

This paper deals with the problems of phylogenesis and ontogenesis of language, departing from Niklas Luhmann’s general hypothesis of the co-evolution of psychic and social systems. Regarding phylogenesis, the focus in Luhmann’s theory was placed on the “pre-linguistic medium of communication” constructed by gestures, which would have been the element that stimulated the evolution of language. This sort of communication allows for the emergence of a certain social order. Here, the problem was the impossibility of identifying this social order by one of the primary forms of societal differentiation. An attempt was made to interpret in which societal contexts pre-language “emerges”. In order to do this, the author resorted to Michael Halliday’s systemic-functional linguistics. Concerning ontogenesis, the attention was directed to the concepts of action and experience. The point of departure was Ilja Srubar’s criticism of Luhmann’s theory of language, according to which the acquisition of language can be thought of as a process of translating action schemes into linguistic ones. This implies a nativist vision of language discarded by Luhmann and also by Halliday. The latter indicated that it is impossible to talk about translating non-linguistic and pre-linguistic cognition schemes into linguistic form because there is no model of experience previous to the linguistic categories. In addition, an attempt was made to show that systemic-functional linguistics can be useful to fill the gap regarding the ontogenesis of language left by Luhmann’s systems theory.

U radu se obrađuju problemi filogeneze i ontogeneze jezika odmicanjem od opće hipoteze Niklasa Luhmanna o suevoluciji psihičkih i društvenih sustava. U pogledu filogeneze jezika, naglasak je u Luhmannovoj teoriji smješten na »predjezični medij komunikacije« sačinjen od gesta, koji je mogao biti temelj poticanja evolucije jezika. Ta vrsta komunikacije omogućuje pojavu određenoga društvenog poretka. Problem je bio u nemogućnosti identificiranja toga društvenog poretka jednim od primarnih oblika socijetalne diferencijacije. Autor ovog rada nastojao je protumačiti u kojim se socijetalnim kontekstima »pojavljuje« predjezik. U tu se svrhu oslonio na sistemsko-funkcionalnu lingvistiku Michaela Hallidaya. U pogledu ontogeneze jezika, pozornost je usmjerena na koncepte djelovanja i iskustva. Kao polazna točka za to poslužila je kritika Ilje Srubara upućena Luhmannovoj teoriji jezika, prema kojoj se na stjecanje jezika može gledati kao na proces prevođenja shema djelovanja u jezične sheme. To uključuje nativističko viđenje jezika koje su odbacili i Luhmann i Halliday, od kojih je potonji sugerirao kako je nemoguće govoriti o prevođenju nejezičnih i predjezičnih spoznajnih shema u jezični oblik, jer ne postoji model iskustva koji prethodi jezičnim kategorijama. Autor je i ovdje nastojao pokazati da sistemsko-funkcionalna lingvistika može biti korisna u popunjavanju praznina koje je u tumačenju ontogeneze jezike za sobom ostavila Luhmannova sistemska teorija.