Keywords
Philosophy
Rhetoric
Syntax
Speaker (al-mutakallim)
Addressee (al-mukhāṭab)
How to Cite
Abstract
This study subjects the dialectical relationship between the two constitutive elements of the human ground that brings language into being—the mütekellim (speaking subject) and the muhatap (listening other)—to philosophical inquiry. Language is not merely an instrumental tool of communication; it is the act through which the "I" positions itself in the world, embodies consciousness, and establishes an ontological bond with the other. First Stage: The Epistemic Sovereignty of the Speaker and the Crisis of Subjectivity Traditional grammar disciplines sanctify the mütekellim as the absolute sovereign of language. This stance, nourished by Aristotelian logocentrism, positions the subject as the source and master of language. However, this view ignores the dialogical nature of language, which is shaped within social praxis. Modern philosophy of language (Wittgenstein, Austin, Benveniste) interrogates the speaker’s sovereignty, transforming them into an actor dependent on the listener, embedded in context, and constrained by social contracts. The fundamental question here is: "Do I exist because I speak, or does the possibility of saying 'I' require the prior existence of a 'you'?" Second Stage: The Ontological Transformation of the Listener – The Face of the Other In classical language theories, the muhatap is a passive receiver. Yet, in modern thought, it gains ontological weight, aligning with Levinas’ concept of "the Face of the Other." Language is no longer unidirectional information transfer; it becomes a ground for mutual recognition, responsibility, and ethical dialogue. The absence of the listener voids language of its existential meaning. Within this framework, Habermas’ theory of communicative action and Bakhtin’s dialogism position the listener as a constitutive component of language. Meaning can only be generated within the tension between the self and the other. Continuity and Transformation: The Hermeneutic Circle of LanguageThis work demonstrates how the speaker-listener dialectic creates a hermeneutic circle in our understanding of language’s structure and use: Traditional Period: Language = The monologic sovereignty of the subject (Logocentrism). Modern Period: Language = Dialogical tension between Self and Other (Relationality). This transformation concretizes Heidegger’s dictum, "Language is the house of Being": Language is the fundamental expression of human being-in-the-world (Dasein) and derives meaning only through interaction with other Daseins. In Lieu of Conclusion: Language as the Voice of Existence This text aims to liberate language studies from the narrow confines of grammar and situate them within the philosophical mapping of humanity’s existential relationship with the world. Speaker and listener are not merely linguistic categories; they are ontological thresholds where meaning is born, the self is constructed, and ethical responsibility begins.
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