<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
Dear Jürgen,<br>
<br>
just one reminder concerning your question about proper names for
languages and your idea "that every such act involves an implicit
objectification of the languages involved." Here is a quote from
Eugenio Coseriu: "Die Sprache ist dem Sprechen adverbial." (Not sure
whether this is deliberately arcane or is the skillful use of a
second language by a linguist.) With this, he refers to expressions
like Latin <i>Graece loqui</i> 'to speak Greek', where <i>Graece</i>
is the adverb of the adjective <i>Graecus</i>, thus 'the Greek
way'. This contrasts with the German and English expressions, which
make it appear that the language functions as an object of one's
speaking. No, says Coseriu, a language is a way of speaking, for
instance, speaking like the Greeks do.<br>
<br>
Upshot: Maybe the ability of distinguishing ways of speaking does
not presuppose the reification of the language.<br>
<br>
Best, Christian<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<p style="font-size:90%">Prof. em. Dr. Christian Lehmann<br>
Rudolfstr. 4<br>
99092 Erfurt<br>
<span style="font-variant:small-caps">Deutschland</span></p>
<table style="font-size:80%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Tel.:</td>
<td>+49/361/2113417</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E-Post:</td>
<td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:christianw_lehmann@arcor.de">christianw_lehmann@arcor.de</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Web:</td>
<td><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.christianlehmann.eu">https://www.christianlehmann.eu</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</body>
</html>