THE INTEGRAL ROLE OF PHILOLOGY IN THE HUMANITIES AS WELL AS A SCHOLARLY EXAMINATION OF TEXTUAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES

Abstract

Linguistic, literary, and historical analysis come together in the study of language as it is found in historical and prehistorical documents. At least that is what is generally understood by the term "philology." Although the field has roots that stretch back to ancient civilizations, modern philologists fancy themselves as practitioners of the sorts of interpretive arts that allow one to divine meaning from texts that may be rendered nearly unintelligible by layers of time and cultural change. Comparatively, current linguistics fancies itself more adept at the sorts of pen-and-ink work that preserve the structure and function of language. This essay investigates the history, subfields, and contemporary relevance of philology, especially as it pertains to the understanding of human communication and the transmission of thought. Whether philology is still being taught in a certain academic department or not, its contents—what we know about the history of language, our understanding of how texts have been transmitted, and our grasp of the kinds of things that human beings think—are still essential ingredients for any kind of adequate curriculum in the humanities.