Studying the diachronic dimension of specialised languages through an intentional approach to their social ontology
Étude de la dimension diachronique des langues de spécialité par une approche intentionnelle de leur ontologie sociale
Résumé
Because specialised languages (SLs) stem from human activities, they exist in human time. Yet, their obvious diachronic dimension is rarely acknowledged, let alone explored. Mainstream approaches, notably English for Specific Purposes, deliberately focus on the present synchronicity of SLs to cater for the urgent needs of learners in the-apparently-most effective way. In contrast, the aim of this paper is to account for the diachronic dimension of SLs by showing that it is a central feature of their social ontology. It uses the theory of intentionality propounded by John Searle, an American philosopher, to establish that "specialisedness" and SLs result from "collective intentionality" as the underlying constructing factor of social reality (Searle 1995: 37-43). In that conceptual framework, the paper shows that specialised domains, communities and languages are basically "institutional" in nature as they follow Searle's constitutive rule of social institutions: "X counts as Y in context C" (ibid.: 26). The paper analyses the various facets of the C variable of the rule and highlights its essential diachronic component. It identifies same-language specialised dictionaries and specialised encyclopaedic knowledge (inspired from Eco [1986: 68-86]) as effective tools to master the C contextual variable and interpret SLs correctly. The approach adopts a thoroughly holistic perspective since it is built on connections involving the mind, language, institutions, history and communities as key components of social ontology.
Domaines
Sciences de l'Homme et Société
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
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