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Article published In: Historiographia Linguistica
Vol. 34:2/3 (2007) ► pp.189–212

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Shelf life and time horizons in the historiography of linguistics

 | Jesus College, Oxford
Published online: 13 November 2007
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https://doi.org/10.1075/hl.34.2.02cra
Summary
The aim of this paper is to outline an approach to linguistic historiography which is informed by 20th-century phenomenology and hermeneutics, but which is formulated in linguistic terms. The key concept is that of the ‘time horizons’ which delimit the context which is relevant to the interpretation of an event or text. The idea of the time horizon is here illustrated by the everyday notion of the shelf-life of consumable items. The main thrust of the argument is that the interpretation of historical events and texts necessarily involves not one but two cognitive contexts, that of the historical protagonist and that of the modern observer. The approach sets up a three-level contrast between chronography (getting the facts right), reconstruction (recounting the historical story), and interpretation (making sense of the past story in terms of present-day understandings).
Résumé
Le but de cet article est de décrire une approche à l’historiographie linguistique qui se base sur la philosophie phénoménologique et hermeneutique du XXe siècle, mais qui serait formulée en termes linguistiques. Le concept principal est celui des ‘horizons temporels’ qui délimitent le contexte qui est approprié à l’interprétation d’un événement ou d’un texte. Le concept de l’horizon temporel est illustrée par la notion quotidienne de la durée de conservation des articles consommables. L’argument vise principalement à montrer que l’interprétation des événements et des textes historiques implique nécessairement un double contexte cognitif, celui du protagoniste historique et celui de l’observateur moderne. L’approche propose un contraste à trois niveaux entre la chronographie (présenter les faits exacts), la reconstruction (raconter une histoire), et l’interprétation (interpreter cette histoire selon le point de vue du présent).
Zusammenfassung
Ziel des vorliegenden Aufsatzes ist es, eine Herangehensweise zur linguistischen Geschichtsschreibung zu umreißen, die auf der phänomenologischen und hermeneutischen Philosophie des 20. Jahrhunderts basiert, aber in Bezug auf Sprache formuliert ist. Grundlegend hierfür ist das Konzept des ‘Zeithorizonts’, der den Kontext bestimmt, der für die Deutung eines historischen Ereignisses oder Textes relevant ist. Dieses Konzept wird im Folgenden durch den alltäglichen Begriff der Haltbarkeit von Lebensmitteln und Gebrauchsgegenständen veranschaulicht. Die Kernaussage besteht darin, dass die Deutung historischer Ereignisse und Texte notwendigerweise einen doppelten kognitiven Kontext erfordert, einerseits den Kontext des historischen Protagonisten und andererseits den des modernen Beobachters. Innerhalb dieses Ansatzes ergibt sich ein dreifacher Gegensatz zwischen Chronographie (der korrekten Darstellung der Tatsachen), Rekonstruktion (Nacherzählung eines historischen Ereignisses) und Interpretation (dessen Deutung im Hinblick auf das heutige Verständnis).
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