The Phenomenon and the Notion of Discourse in the Modern Ontology of Language

Abstract

The paper presents a theoretical substantiation of the concept of «discourse» as the most important ontological category in contemporary linguistics. It further explains the semantic evolution of the concept of «discourse» from philosophical scholasticism to modern humanitarian knowledge. The essence of the notion of «discourse» is unveiled through a number of fundamental oppositions in the ontology of the object of linguistics (the language), with the opposition of system and phenomenon, considered as the two sides of the ontology of language, being the most important of them. In each of its sides, the object strives to achieve ontological integrity. Systemic integrity is opposed to the phenomenological totality of language, which is what the notion of «discourse» is about. Systemic integrity in its material aspect relies on a certain sum of elements that are in structural relation to each other and create the structure of language. The discursive integrity of language in its material aspect is based on a speech fact (a word in its speech status, an utterance, a text), which stands in an interpretive relation to (an)other speech fact(s). An intertextual connection arises between speech facts; one fact follows another in a linear-historical sequence. The sum of speech facts constitutes the wholeness of expressive extent of discourse. In its ideal aspect, integrity is subject to the effects of certain semantic constants. As far as the systemic integrity of language is concerned, such a constant is a linguistic function (cognitive, communicative). In its phenomenological integrity, language is governed by the concept, which is the highest semantic setting of discourse, being the intuition of discourse. The two dimensions of integrity are inextricably linked, and complement each other in the general ontology of language. Combining a set of activity-based and sociocultural approaches to language studies, the contemporary paradigm in the development of linguistics can be characterized as phenomenological. The paper is intended for specialists in the field of general theory of language, and history of linguistics.