earticle

영어

On language expressed in Greek myths Kim, Won-Ik (Yonsei University) Human beings have kept two stands on language since they invented their own languages. One is to believe that language is able to perfectly express human thoughts. The other is the skepticism that the language which has to be faulty is not. The minds of the former have been led by analytic philosophy, part of philosophy, while phenomenology have represented the latter. Ancient Greek myth writers, like modern exponents of phenomenology, also harbored their deep-rooted skepticism on the language utility. The stark antagonism and argument we now think shown in the conversations in Greek tragedies explain the rationale for the incompleteness of the language. They indicate that the evident incommunicability through words remains latent in their conversation, making them fail to reach a consensus, which tragically causes one of two parties to fade away. That's why we call the conversation in Greek tragedies “antilogia” instead of “dialogia”. The characters appearing in some Greek myths who seem to have mastery over language are often depreciated as mean-spirited and doomed. As examples, Echo, a chatterbox who ignored the talks of others, succumbed to a tragic end. The house of Rumors Goddess Fama is not just one of rumors, but a place haunted with empty words, which reflects this world's evanescent realities. But ancient Greek myth writers did not idle away while lamenting the limits of language. They tried to deal with the problems with consistency. They frequently employed the sophisticated similes to overcome the language bounds. According to Martin Hose, a simile is a characteristic in the epic style dramatically derived from the struggles of the authors who happen to be thrown into language obstacles. The creators constantly changed God's or character's names in their works, such as Athena-changed-Kythereia or Kythera, and Apollon-changed-Phoibos. The efforts were naturally made from the recognition on the imperfection of language that a given name is unable to denote the essence of an object like when in simile. The state is like “epoche” in phenomenology, where a judgement is pending due to linguistic limitations. The “epoche” is a pause where, to carve out the essence of an object, the concerned person ceased to judge at a point before comprehensively searching for various orientations to establish a certainty. Odysseus was an ideal model in Greek myths for ancient Greeks who had to cope with their language. He was trapped with his life being risked in a cave where Polyphemos one-eyed monster occupied. Odysseus stands for the nominalist language, while the giant represents the absolutist language. When asked to offer his name, Odysseus who saw through the difference produced a disguised name “Udeis” to him. The Udeis means ‘nobody’ in English. Using the false name, he managed to escape from the hands of the monster. Odysseus could exploit the supreme language playing to overturn the language limits. The consummate orator came to find himself as an ultimate trouble-shooter in looming conflicts. The skepticism on the language utility that Greek myth writers of early date had maintained was not, fortunately, led to a defeatist abandonment, but rather triggered a tremendous eruption of energy as seen in Odysseus. Had it not been for profound reflections on language among ancient Greeks, could Iliad, Odysseia, and other great Greek tragedies, have been unmatched treasures for humans, and could they be now?