Johannes Kabatek, Eugenio Coseriu. Beyond Structuralism. Berlin, Walter De Gruyter, 2023, 338 p.
ISBN 9783110716153, € 99.95
DOI: doi.org/10.1515/9783110716573
Notice de l’Éditeur avec table des matières ; le volume est entièrement disponible en Open Access sur le site de l’Éditeur.

This is the first comprehensive monograph on Eugenio Coseriu. Its aim is to serve as an introduction to the vast Coserian oeuvre, an overview that will offer, chapter by chapter, basic insights into his work and thought. This is not an easy task: we live in a world of experts, and due to today’s high degree of disciplinary specialisation, no linguist in the 21^st century is likely to have a thorough grasp of all the fields in which Coseriu was active throughout his life. The general programme of what he himself used to call “Integral Linguistics” from the 1980s onwards is not only extremely ambitious, but is also something to which Coseriu himself contributed from a wide variety of scholarly fields. Not only did he work within a number of areas of general and Romance linguistics, he was also an expert on the history of linguistics and the philosophy of language, as well as on the theory of aesthetics. To produce an adequate and satisfying monograph on the whole range of Coseriu’s thinking would ideally presuppose expert knowledge in all these areas, something beyond the reach of a single author, and thus in what follows it is possible that scholars from one or another specific field might feel that their own area of expertise has not been dealt with in the kind of depth which ideally they would like. This may be the reason why such a work has never been attempted before. Be that as it may, it was on the centenary of Coseriu’s birth that I was reminded that such an endeavour was indeed necessary, and I felt it almost a duty to write this overview. I apologise, however, for any shortcomings herein; I am perfectly aware that each of the chapters is imperfect, and that much more could be said. On the other hand, a compact overview also has advantages, and the aims of this book will have been fulfilled if it contributes to the knowledge of Coseriu’s thought and makes the read- er curious to explore Coseriu’s own texts; from personal experience I know that reading him can be enormously enriching. Perhaps this is also the right moment to look at his work afresh. The Japanese linguist Takashi Kamei, in comparing the reception of Coseriu’s writings with those of Saussure and Jakobson and observing that a true reception only comes after a certain time, claimed that Coseriu would in fact become “a linguist of the 21^st century”.

Extrait de l’Introduction, p. 1

I won’t thank ChatGPT because it still knows little about Coseriu’s linguistics (for fun I asked it to produce a text about Coseriu’s semantics and it made a cognitivist out of him); I am sure that the online version of this book will contribute to improvements here.

Extrait des Remerciements, p. VII

The Cambridge History of Linguistics, edited by Linda R. Waugh, Monique Monville-Burston, John E. Joseph. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2023, 900 p. ISBN 9780511842788, 145,89 €
DOI: doi.org/10.1017/9780511842788
Notice de l’Éditeur avec Table des matières (avec plus de détails, par ici).

The establishment of language as a focus of study took place over many centuries, and reflection on its nature emerged in relation to very different social and cultural practices. Written by a team of leading scholars, this volume provides an authoritative, chronological account of the history of the study of language from ancient times to the end of the 20th century (i.e., ‘recent history’, when modern linguistics greatly expanded). Comprised of 29 chapters, it is split into 3 parts, each with an introduction covering the larger context of interest in language, especially the different philosophical, religious, and/or political concerns and socio-cultural practices of the times. At the end of the volume, there is a combined list of all references cited and a comprehensive index of topics, languages, major figures, etc. Comprehensive in its scope, it is an essential reference for researchers, teachers and students alike in linguistics and related disciplines.

Linda R. Waugh is Professor Emerita at the University of Arizona and Cornell University. Her research interests include discourse analysis, history of linguistics, semiotics, and French linguistics. Notable publications include The Sound Shape of Language (1979, 1987, with Roman Jakobson), On Language (1990, edited with M. Monville-Burston), and Critical Discourse Analysis (2020, with Catalano).
Monique Monville
-Burston is Professor and Honorary Research Fellow at the Language Center, Cyprus University of Technology. Her research interests include L2 acquisition (French), Tense/Mood/Aspect, discourse analysis, and the history of linguistics. Notable publications include On Language (1990, edited with L. Waugh) and La Marque en lexicographie (2011, with Baider and Lamprou).
John E. Joseph is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. He has worked extensively in the history of linguistics, and his books in this area include Limiting the Arbitrary (2000), From Whitney to Chomsky (2002), Saussure (2012), and Language, Mind and Body (2018). He has served in many capacities, including as president of the Cercle Ferdinand de Saussure.

Part I – Ancient, Classical, and Medieval Periods (featuring « History of Linguistic Analysis in the Sanskrit Tradition in Premodern India, with a Brief Discussion of Vernacular Grammars », by Madhav M. Deshpande, p. 77-101);
Part II – Renaissance to Late Nineteenth Century;
Part III – Late Nineteenth-through Twentieth-Century Linguistics (featuring « Structuralism in Europe », by Daniele Gambarara, Emanuele Fadda, Lorenzo Cigana, Patrick Sériot, p. 467-495).

Valdir do Nascimento Flores, A linguística geral de Ferdinand de Saussure. São Paulo, Editora Contexto, 2023, 160 p. ISBN 978-65-5541-230-7, R$ 45,00
Notice de l’Éditeur avec Table des matières, Introduction et premier chapitre.

Esta obra apresenta um conjunto de argumentos que possibilitam delinear a linguística geral de Ferdinand de Saussure. Valdir do Nascimento Flores, professor da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brasil, toma como parâmetro tudo o que pode ser considerado básico para compreender o universo saussuriano relacionado ao que se consagrou sob o rótulo de “linguística geral”.
Em função disso, utiliza fontes de fácil acesso ao público iniciante de linguistas, privilegiando sempre que possível bibliografia em língua portuguesa.
O livro traz uma pequena nota biográfica de Saussure e sua linguística geral, uma breve história das fontes saussurianas, discorre sobre a gênese da obra de Saussure relacionada ao tema, trazendo ainda uma discussão sobre o termo “linguística geral” em si.
O autor não foge de pontos controversos que rondam o pensador, como a questão sobre ele ser ou não estruturalista, e faz uma análise cautelosa e aprofundada sobre os dois livros póstumos – Curso de linguística geral (CLG) e Escritos de linguística geral (ELG) – atribuídos a Saussure e cercados de polêmicas por conta dos processos de edição que sofreram; mas que são inescapáveis e praticamente onipresentes na pesquisa e na formação acadêmica de linguistas e estudantes de Letras (e não somente no Brasil). Esta obra contribui, assim, para um aprofundamento da discussão acerca da linguística saussuriana existente entre nós.

Saussure e a escola de Genebra, organizado por Valdir do Nascimento Flores e Gabriel Othero. São Paulo, Editora Contexto, 2023, 208 p. ISBN 978-65-5541-275-8, R$ 55,00
Notice de l’Éditeur avec Table des matières et Introduction.

A Escola de Genebra designa, de modo geral, o movimento sociológico que reúne o programa de pesquisa construído em torno do nome de Ferdinand de Saussure nas quatro primeiras décadas do século XX. Esta obra discute o significado dessa escola linguística e sua relação com a figura de Saussure e se divide em três partes.
A primeira parte, intitulada “Leituras de Saussure: a figura de Albert Sechehaye”, reúne textos de autoria de Sechehaye que explicitam o acolhimento que teve o Curso de linguística geral no âmbito da Escola de Genebra. Além de um capítulo de Valdir do Nascimento Flores e Gabriel Othero sobre o artigo “Em favor do arbitrário do signo”, de autoria de Albert Sechehaye, Charles Bally e Henri Frei, que constitui a base para a compreensão do debate em torno da arbitrariedade do signo linguístico durante o século XX.
Na segunda parte, encontra-se um capítulo de Anamaria Curea, reconhecida especialista quando o assunto é a Escola de Genebra. Em seu texto, a autora dedica-se a estudar a “primeira geração” de linguistas da Escola de Genebra com a intenção de ver como, nela, a arbitrariedade se apresenta como um problema a ser explorado. Em seguida, encontra-se o texto “A Escola de Genebra vista pela Sociedade linguística de Paris”, de Pierre-Yves Testenoire, que avalia a Escola de Genebra “de um ponto de vista externo”, o da Sociedade linguística de Paris. São destacados os pontos de contato e os pontos de distanciamento entre as duas “organizações”. O texto é extremamente elucidativo da perspectiva histórica que assume.
Finalmente, na terceira parte do livro, “Correspondência sobre a edição do CLG”, são apresentados três conjuntos de cartas, relativas à redação do CLG e publicadas na prestigiada revista Cahiers Ferdinand de Saussure, do Cercle Ferdinand de Saussure: o primeiro conjunto, “Cem anos de filologia saussuriana I: cartas trocadas por Albert Sechehaye e Charles Bally para a edição do Curso de linguística geral (1916)” ; o segundo, “Complemento à correspondência entre Charles Bally e Albert Sechehaye durante a elaboração do Curso de linguística geral (1913)”; o terceiro, “Cem Anos de Filologia Saussuriana III – Albert Riedlinger (1883-1978) e sua ‘colaboração’ com os editores”. Essa Parte conta com comentários feitos por Estanislao Sofía (nos dois primeiros conjuntos) e por este em colaboração com Anne-Marguerite Frýba (no terceiro conjunto), especialistas no tema.

Contributions de Anamaria Curea, Valdir do Nascimento Flores, Anne-Marguerite Frýba, Gabriel Othero, Estanislao Sofía, Pierre-Yves Testenoire.