Spotlights on the notion of lexical motivation across languages in the Western linguistic tradition, from the 16th century to the present
This article shows that an interest in differences and similarities in patterns of lexical motivation across languages has a long, if discontinuous, history in Western linguistic thought. The aim of the article is to trace this history by presenting examples that highlight the enduring fascination of authors from very different traditions with recurrent patterns of lexico-semantic associations. It also discusses the significance attributed to these patterns, which ranges from their practical value in etymological research to proving the psychic unity of mankind.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The 16th and 17th century: Sanctius, Comenius, Vico
- 3.The early 19th century: Wilhelm von Humboldt’s elephant and the notion of ‘innere Sprachform’
- 4.The late 19th century: Humboldt’s aftermath in Völkerpsychologie and its critics: Pott, Wundt, Marty
- 5.The early 20th century: The Benennungsgründe of onomasiology in a comparative perspective (Tappolet, Schröpfer) and the structuralist tradition (Saussure, Ullmann and others)
- 6.More isolated authors and developments in the 19th and 20th centuries
- 6.1Introduction
- 6.2Sebastian Zehetmayr
- 6.3Edward Sapir
- 6.4Wilhelm Eilers
- 6.5Lexical motivation in anthropological linguistics: Cecil H. Brown and Stanley R. Witkowski
- 6.6Hansjakob Seiler and the ‘descriptive’ vs. ‘labeling’ dichotomy
- 7.The early 21st century: Current developments in linguistic typology
- 8.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
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References