The dissertation aims at studying the theory of language in Condillac’s work. Taking into account that Condillac approaches the problem of language from a grammatical, an aesthetic and a metaphysical viewpoint, the dissertation is divided into three main parts.
The first part, which follows an introductory study of the Port-Royal Grammar, focuses on Condillac’s Grammaire (1775), a work in which the author envisages the problem of language as a grammarian. The relationship between language and thought, one of the main interests of present-day psycholinguistics, represents the focal point of this part.
The second part concentrates on De l'art d'écrire (1775), a stylistic treatise, in which Condillac speaks as an aesthetician on language. One of Condillac’s preoccupations is the question of whether the problems of style can be solved by an objectively established principle or whether style is a matter of taste.
The third part is based mainly on the Essai sur l’origine des connaissances humaines (1746). Condillac’s speculation on problems of an anthropological nature, such as the origin and the evolution of language, is the main topic.
In conclusion, the most noticeable result of the dissertation demonstrates how Condillac—by virtue of his original approach—anticipates a great number of ideas which are now at the center of philosophical and linguistic inquiry. Notwithstanding the rather fragmentary character of his theory, Condillac can be considered in many respects as a forerunner, obviously neglected until now, of such linguistic theorists as Wittgenstein and Chomsky.
","abstract_html":"<p>The dissertation aims at studying the theory of language in Condillac’s work. Taking into account that Condillac approaches the problem of language from a grammatical, an aesthetic and a metaphysical viewpoint, the dissertation is divided into three main parts.</p> <p>The first part, which follows an introductory study of the <em>Port-Royal Grammar</em>, focuses on Condillac’s <em>Grammaire</em> (1775), a work in which the author envisages the problem of language as a grammarian. The relationship between language and thought, one of the main interests of present-day psycholinguistics, represents the focal point of this part.</p> <p>The second part concentrates on <em>De l'art d'écrire</em> (1775), a stylistic treatise, in which Condillac speaks as an aesthetician on language. One of Condillac’s preoccupations is the question of whether the problems of style can be solved by an objectively established principle or whether style is a matter of taste.</p> <p>The third part is based mainly on the <em>Essai sur l’origine des connaissances humaines</em> (1746). Condillac’s speculation on problems of an anthropological nature, such as the origin and the evolution of language, is the main topic.</p> <p>In conclusion, the most noticeable result of the dissertation demonstrates how Condillac—by virtue of his original approach—anticipates a great number of ideas which are now at the center of philosophical and linguistic inquiry. Notwithstanding the rather fragmentary character of his theory, Condillac can be considered in many respects as a forerunner, obviously neglected until now, of such linguistic theorists as Wittgenstein and Chomsky.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kraetschmer, Kurt"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Romance Languages and Literatures","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Giovanni Gullace","Sandro Sticca","Jacqueline VanBaelen"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1977,"date_issued":"1977-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1977-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:10:28Z","subjects":["Etienne Bonnot de Condillac (1714-1780)","Criticism and interpretation","Language and languages","Philosophy"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/360","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Giovanni Gullace","Sandro Sticca","Jacqueline VanBaelen"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kraetschmer, Kurt"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Romance Languages and Literatures"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Etienne Bonnot de Condillac (1714-1780)","Criticism and interpretation","Language and languages","Philosophy"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/360"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The dissertation aims at studying the theory of language in Condillac’s work. Taking into account that Condillac approaches the problem of language from a grammatical, an aesthetic and a metaphysical viewpoint, the dissertation is divided into three main parts.
The first part, which follows an introductory study of the Port-Royal Grammar, focuses on Condillac’s Grammaire (1775), a work in which the author envisages the problem of language as a grammarian. The relationship between language and thought, one of the main interests of present-day psycholinguistics, represents the focal point of this part.
The second part concentrates on De l'art d'écrire (1775), a stylistic treatise, in which Condillac speaks as an aesthetician on language. One of Condillac’s preoccupations is the question of whether the problems of style can be solved by an objectively established principle or whether style is a matter of taste.
The third part is based mainly on the Essai sur l’origine des connaissances humaines (1746). Condillac’s speculation on problems of an anthropological nature, such as the origin and the evolution of language, is the main topic.
In conclusion, the most noticeable result of the dissertation demonstrates how Condillac—by virtue of his original approach—anticipates a great number of ideas which are now at the center of philosophical and linguistic inquiry. Notwithstanding the rather fragmentary character of his theory, Condillac can be considered in many respects as a forerunner, obviously neglected until now, of such linguistic theorists as Wittgenstein and Chomsky.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["La théorie du langage et l'art d'écrire chez Condillac"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Giovanni Gullace","Sandro Sticca","Jacqueline VanBaelen"],"dc:creator":["Kraetschmer, Kurt"],"dc:description.abstract":["The dissertation aims at studying the theory of language in Condillac’s work. Taking into account that Condillac approaches the problem of language from a grammatical, an aesthetic and a metaphysical viewpoint, the dissertation is divided into three main parts.
The first part, which follows an introductory study of the Port-Royal Grammar, focuses on Condillac’s Grammaire (1775), a work in which the author envisages the problem of language as a grammarian. The relationship between language and thought, one of the main interests of present-day psycholinguistics, represents the focal point of this part.
The second part concentrates on De l'art d'écrire (1775), a stylistic treatise, in which Condillac speaks as an aesthetician on language. One of Condillac’s preoccupations is the question of whether the problems of style can be solved by an objectively established principle or whether style is a matter of taste.
The third part is based mainly on the Essai sur l’origine des connaissances humaines (1746). Condillac’s speculation on problems of an anthropological nature, such as the origin and the evolution of language, is the main topic.
In conclusion, the most noticeable result of the dissertation demonstrates how Condillac—by virtue of his original approach—anticipates a great number of ideas which are now at the center of philosophical and linguistic inquiry. Notwithstanding the rather fragmentary character of his theory, Condillac can be considered in many respects as a forerunner, obviously neglected until now, of such linguistic theorists as Wittgenstein and Chomsky.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/360"],"dc:subject":["Etienne Bonnot de Condillac (1714-1780)","Criticism and interpretation","Language and languages","Philosophy"],"dc:title":["La théorie du langage et l'art d'écrire chez Condillac"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Romance Languages and Literatures"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:10:28Z"}