On the Origin of Language: Discussing Melody and Music as Imitation

Author: Jean-Jacques Rousseau (France), translated by Hong Tao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: The essay "On the Origin of Language" was never published during Rousseau's lifetime. He once planned to include this paper in a collection, which would also feature: the short essay "On the Imitation of Drama," primarily an overview and interpretation of Plato's discussions on imitation in The Republic and Laws; and the prose poem "Levi of Israel," inspired by the story at the end of the Book of Judges. This book is a work by Jean-Jacques Rousseau of France, divided into twenty chapters, covering main topics such as various methods of thought communication, the initial invention of language should be attributed to passion rather than need, the primordial language must be symbolic, the distinctive features and evolution of the initial language, on writing, whether Homer could write, on modern prosody, general and regional differences in the origin of language, the formation of southern languages, the formation of northern languages, and reflections on the aforementioned differences, etc.