조선어학, 혹은 한국어학의근대성/식민성에 대하여 - ‘언어의 소외’와 ‘본원 축적’이라는 문제 설정을 중심으로

Abstract

This article aims to reexamine the ’modernity/coloniality’ within Korean linguistics by focusing on the problems of ’language alienation’ and ’primitive accumulation.’ ’Language alienation’ refers to the unique modern perception that treats language as if it exists independently, separated from the concrete context of human speech. ’Primitive accumulation,’ a concept rooted in political economy, posits that the establishment of capitalist production relations is made possible through the forceful separation of producers from the means of production and their incorporation into wage labor relations. Applying this perspective to linguistic discourse, it can be interpreted that modern linguistics emerged by separating speakers/listeners from concrete and everyday communication acts, assimilating them into a ’homogeneous speech community’ governed by Langue’s law. Furthermore, this article suggests that the nature of modern linguistics is intertwined with the “primitive accumulation” of modern society, the state, and the market through the issue of literacy. To clarify this point, the article examines the specificity of Ju-Sigyeong’s orthography, which uses abstract sounds rather than concrete ones, and explores the significance of the fact that the movement for orthography unification in the 1920s and 30s strongly demanded homogeneous common education by the state. This work critically reflects on the intellectual foundations of Korean linguistics, with the ultimate goal of identifying the stages of otherizing and colonialization that led to the realization of the rhetoric of modernity.