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Article published In: Historiographia Linguistica
Vol. 34:1 (2007) ► pp.37–62

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The evergreen story of Psammetichus’ inquiry into the origin of language

 | Boston College
Published online: 19 June 2007
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https://doi.org/10.1075/hl.34.1.04tho
Summary
Herodotus recounts the attempt of the pharaoh Psammetichus I to determine which among the peoples of the earth was the oldest. He isolated two children at birth, assuming that their spontaneous speech would reveal the identity of a primordial human language. Although Psammetichus’ inquiry was not explicitly designed to address linguistic issues, it has long been passed down in western reflection on language. This article reviews some of the most significant roles that the story of Psammetichus has played. The story was abundantly cited in 16th-century literature that conceptualized a first human language. It has also contributed to debate about the origin of language, especially during the mid–19th century. Moreover, the story of Psammetichus’ inquiry has been retold in discussion of language acquisition as has taken place since the 1970s. In this context, it is represented as the “ultimate language-learning experiment” (Gleitman & Newport 1995), which constitutes “an incisive bit of scientific prescience” (Rymer 1993). Enlarging on the third, most recent, context for re-telling the story, this article shows how some scholars assimilate it into modern linguistic research, while conceding that it is flawed on ethical grounds. In doing so, they often seem to make the past both inappropriately familiar (therefore less threatening), and inappropriately strange (therefore less valuable). As a result, contemporary citations of this anecdote from the distant past have the paradoxical effect of contributing to fashionable ahistoricity.
Résumé
Hérodote raconte comment le pharaon Psammétique I a essayé de déterminer qui parmi les peuples de la terre était le plus ancien. Il avait isolé deux enfants à leur naissance, supposant que leur parole spontanée révélerait l’identité d’une langue humaine primordiale. Bien que l’enquête n’ait pas été conçue explicitement afin d’aborder des questions linguistiques, elle s’est longtemps répercutée sur les réflexions de l’Occident concernant le langage. L’article réexamine certains des rôles les plus significatifs que l’histoire de Psammétique a joué. Cette histoire a été abondamment citée dans la littérature du XVIe siècle où on conceptualisait un premier langage humain. Elle a aussi contribué au débat sur l’origine du langage, particulièrement pendant la première moitié du XIXe siècle. De plus, l’histoire de l’enquête de Psammétique a été reprise dans la discussion sur l’acquisition du langage à partir des années soixante-dix ; on l’y a représentée comme ‘le nec plus ultra des experiences d’acquisition du langage’ (Gleitman & Newport 1995), qui constitue ‘une petite portion de science de l’ère pré-scientifique’ (Rymer 1993). Développant le contexte le plus récent de l’histoire cet article montre comment certains érudits l’assimilent à une recherche linguistique moderne, tout en reconnaissant son imperfection sur la plan éthique. Ainsi, il semble qu’ils rendent souvent le passé non seulement faussement familier (donc moins menaçant), mais aussi faussement étrange (donc moins valable). En conséquence, des références contemporaines à cette anecdote issue du passé lointain aboutissent paradoxalement à une ‘non-histoire’ à la mode.
Zusammenfassung
Herodot berichtet von dem Versuch des Pharaos Psammetich I., unter den Völkern der Erde das älteste zu ermitteln. Er isolierte zwei Kinder nach der Geburt, weil er annahm, ihre spontane Sprechweise würde der Ursprache entsprechen. Auch wenn seine Untersuchungen nicht explizit linguistische Fragen aufzuhellen suchte, wurde sie lange Zeit im Rahmen sprachwissenschaftlicher Untersuchungen tradiert. Im vorliegenden Artikel wird auf einige der bekanntesten Versionen dieser Geschichte eingegangen. Im 16. Jhdt. wurde sie sehr oft in Zusammenhang mit Traktaten über die erste Sprache des Menschengeschlechts zitiert. Auch im Zusammenhang mit den Debatten über die Ursprache, welche in der Mitte des 19. Jhdt. geführt wurden, wird sie immer wieder erwähnt. Ja, sogar nach 1970, wurde das Experiment des Psammetichius, zusammen mit den Diskussionen über Probleme des Spracherwerbs aufgegriffen und als ‘das ultimative Sprachlernexperiment’ präsentiert (Gleitman & Newport 1995), welches als ‘entscheidender Schritt vorwissenschaftlichen Denkens’ (Rymer 1993) anzusehen sei. Hierbei setzt der vorliegende Artikel ein und zeigt, wie der eine oder andere Wissenschaftler die Geschichte in der neuzeitlichen linguistischen Forschung aufgreift, wobei aber gleichzeitig auch gewisse ethische Bedenken ob der gewählten Methode eingeräumt werden. Dabei lassen sie allerdings die Vergangenheit einerseits merkwürdig vertraut (und dabei weniger bedrohlich) und anderererseits fremd (und damit weniger bedeutungsvoll) erscheinen. Im Endergebnis haben zeitgenössische Nacherzählungen der Anekdote aus ferner Vergangenheit den paradoxen Effekt, zu einer modischen Ungeschichtlichkeit beizutragen.
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