The operational matrix of languaging: a radically relational understanding of language

  • Vincenzo Raimondi
Keywords: coordination, linguistic activity, linguistic analysis, agency, human sociality

Abstract

Languaging is interactional and relational in nature. The aim of this paper is to explore the constitutive conditions of human language from a «bio-logic» perspective. The main claim is that the notion of languaging contributes to expanding the post-cognitivist understanding of social interaction and linguistic activity. From both a phylogenetic and an ontogenetic perspective, the emergence of language needs to be traced to a species-specific form of sociality and distributed agency. By connecting individual agency to social interdependence, the approach of languaging shows that language arises from patterns of concerted actions. It follows that not only is linguistic activity inherently distributed, but also cannot be separated from the activities and practices it brings into being.

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Published
2022-01-23
How to Cite
Raimondi, V. (2022) “The operational matrix of languaging: a radically relational understanding of language”, Rivista Italiana di Filosofia del Linguaggio, 15(2). doi: 10.4396/2021210.