Johann Gottfried Herder’s *Treatise on the Origin of Language (1772)* argues that human beings, using only their natural abilities, were indeed capable of inventing language for themselves. The book directly confronts the question of whether innate human faculties are sufficient for language creation, suggesting a positive answer grounded in observable capacities.
The work probes the fundamental relationship between words and things, encapsulated by Cicero’s notion of *Vocabula sunt notae rerum*. Herder investigates the inherent human potential for developing communicative systems, moving beyond simple instinctual calls to a more complex form of symbolic representation. A reader gains insight into Herder's foundational challenge to theories that posit external or divine origins for language.
Key concepts
- Natural abilities — The inherent capacities of human beings, independent of external influence, that Herder proposes are sufficient for language invention.
- Vocabula sunt notae rerum — The Latin phrase, attributed to Cicero, meaning "Words are signs of things," which serves as a foundational principle for understanding the function of language.
- Origin of Language — The central inquiry of the treatise, focusing on the genesis and development of human linguistic capabilities from natural human faculties.