The discourse on Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s theory of language has, hitherto, focused mostly on his Discourse on Inequality and the Essay on the Origin of Languages which treats of Melody and Musical Imitation. However, in his Emile, Rousseau presents significant and interesting postulations and insights regarding language, language learning and language teaching, which merit attention and analysis. The paper aims, first and foremost, to point out, explore and interpret some of these notions as they feature toward the end of Book I: (1) a universal natural language which develops as the child matures; (2) “private” words invented by children; (3) the challenge that children are faced with in their comprehension of exceptions to general rules of the mother tongue; (4) recommended methods of teaching the mother tongue. To the best of my knowledge, these themes in Emile  have not been sufficiently explored, and highlighting them will hopefully contribute to the scholarship on Emile and on Rousseau’s philosophy at large.

Secondly, the discussion aims to show how Rousseau’s ideas relate to seventeenth-and eighteenth- century discourse on language education in two ways: (1) by demonstrating that Rousseau advocates the encouragement of language acquisition rather than of language imposition. This issue is important because, as Calder (2003) points out, “Eighteenth-century discourse on education is determined by two distinct currents of thought concerning methods of teaching language to a child: the imposition of language upon the child, and the more gentle practice of allowing the child to acquire language by encouraging his own initiative” (p.123); (2) by references to Amos Comenus (1592-1670) and John Locke (1632-1704) which show similarities between some of their ideas to some of Rousseau’s. Thirdly, it aims to show that many of Rousseau’s notions coincide with modern research on the subject. In this context, there are references to Donaldson (1979), Fisher and Gleitman (2002), Gleitman and Newport (1995) and Pinker (1994). Fourthly, the discussion aims to contribute to the scholarship on Rousseau’s philosophy of education by exploring how his ideas regarding language, language teaching and learning relate to his general principles of education. In this context there are, throughout the discussion, references to contemporary scholarship on Emile,such as Griffiths (2014), Laverty (2011), Lewis (2012), Mintz (2012), Lovlie (2002) and Shuffelton (2012).

Humanities, Text analysis

(1) Regarding Rousseau’s philosophy of language, the paper demonstrates that in his Emile, Rousseau puts forth fundamental concepts on language, language learning and teaching. Since the discussion regarding Rousseau’s philosophy of language has, so far, focused mainly on his Discourse on Inequality and his Essay on the Origin of Languages which treats of Melody and Musical Imitation, a possible future research venue would focus on a comparison between these two and the philosophy of language unfolded in Emile. (2) Regarding seventeenth- and eighteenth- century discourse on language, the interpretation suggested in this paper clearly demonstrates that Rousseau does not side with the advocates of imposition, but rather with those who endorse the encouragement of language acquisition – “the more gentle practice of allowing the child to acquire language by encouraging his own initiative” (Calder, 2003, p.123). Furthermore, it shows similarities between some of Rousseau’s ideas to those of Comenus and Locke. Further research might explore if, and in what ways, these similarities attest to influences on Rousseau by the two scholars. (3) Regarding contemporary philosophy of language, Rousseau’s insights foreshadow, to a large extent, empirical research findings and theoretical approaches of modern research. This fact reveals a further aspect of his ingenuity. (4) Hopefully, this paper demonstrates that a fruitful perspective on Rousseau’s general principles of education is yielded by exploring their relations to his theory of language learning and teaching, and, moreover, that such an inquiry contributes to understanding his philosophy of education.

Calder, M. (2003) Encounters with the Other – a Journey to the Limits of Language through works by Rousseau, Defoe, Prevost and Graffigny (Amsterdam and New York, Rodopi). Donaldson, M. (1979) Children’s Minds (New York: Norton & Company). Fisher, C. and Gleitman, L. R. (2002). “Language Acquisition,” in: H. F. Pashler (series ed) and R. Gallistel (volume ed.) Stevens’ Handbook of Experimental Psychology Third Edition, Volume 3, Learning, Motivation and Emotion (New York, Wiley), pp. 445-96. Gleitman, L. R. and Newport, E. L. (1995) “The Invention of Language by Children: Environmental and Biological Influence on the Acquisition of Language,” in: D. N. Ohsershon (series ed) and L. R. Gletiman and M. Liberman (volume eds) An Invitation to Cognitive Science Second Edition, Volume 1, Language (MA, MIT Press), pp. 1-24 Laverty, M. J. (2011) “Can You Hear Me Now? Jean-Jacques Rousseau on Listening Education,” Educational Theory, 61.2, pp. 155-69. Locke, J. [1692] (1996) Some Thoughts Concerning Education, eds. R. W. Grant and N. Tarcov (Indianapolis: Hacket Publishing Company ). Lovlie, L. (2002) Rousseau’s Insight, Studies in Philosophy and Education 21, pp. 335-41. Mintz, I. A. (2012) The Happy and Suffering Student? Rousseau’s Emile and the Path not Taken in Progressive Educational Thought, Educational Theory, 62.3, pp. 249-265. Mintz, I. A. (2018) Sparta, Athens, and the Surprising Roots of Common Schooling, in: M. Laverty (ed) Philosophy of Education 2018, pp. 105-116. Pinker, S. (1994) The Language of Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind (Harmondworth, Penguin). Rousseau. J. J. [1762](2010) Emile or on Education. Translated and edited by C. Kelly and A. Bloom. The Collected Writing of Rousseau, Vol 13. Hanover, NH: Dartmouth College Press. Shuffelton, A. B. (2012) “Rousseau’s Imaginary Friend: Childhood, Play, and Suspicion of the Imagination in Emile,” Educational Theory, 62.3, pp. 305-21. Terzian, Sevan G. (2021). “Johann Comenius (1592-1670)” Education Encyclopedia – State University.Com [Online]. Online at: https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1868/Comenius-Johann-1592-1670.html#ixzz7EFKxNjOB