Monolingualism of the Other: or, The Prosthesis of Origin (Cultural Memory in the Present)

100 Pages·1998·2.22 MB·English

by  Jacques Derrida

thOet her;
c.Monolinguaolfi sm
or,
The
ProsthoefOs riisg in
JACQUESD ERRIDA
Translatbeyd Patrick Mensah
StaonrUfdn ivietPryrs ess
Staodnr,Cf alifornia
Assistfaontrch ete r anslwaatspi roonv ided
byt heFr enMcihn isotfrC yu lture
Monolingualisofmt hOet heorr;T, h Per osthesis
ofO rgiinw aso rigalliynp ublisihnFe rde nch
in1 99u6n detrh tei dIeem onolinguidsem e
l'auetr:o ufa prothde'soer igine.
© 199b6y E ditiGoalnisl ee
StanfUonridv erPsrierysS st,a nfoCradl,i fornia
© 199b8yt hBeo arodfT rustoefte hse
LelaSntda nfJourndi Uonri versity
Printientd he U nitSetda toefAms e rica
CIPd ataar aet th ee ndo ft hbeo ok
'ForD avid Wills
Contents
Monoliinsogmftu halOet ehro;r ,
ThPer osthOerisgiisIn of
Epilog7u0 e
Note7s7
An oralv ersiooftn h itse xsth,o ratnedro ftend ifferiennf to rmwas ,
presenattae dc ollooqrugiaunmi bzyPe adt rMiecnks aahn dD aviWdi lls,
hosdtb eyE douaGrldi ssaanndht e,l odn A pr2i3l 2159,9 a2tt, h Leo uisi­
anSat aUtnei verBsaittoyRn,o uge.
Thicso nfereennctei,t" lEecdh oferso mE lsewh/e" rRee"n vdo'aiisl ­
leursw,a"si nternatainodbn ialli ngWuea wle.r ree quitroed de awli th
probleomffrs a ncophoountiseiF drea nce, profol bilnegmusi osrtl iicts­
eratuproel,i toircc usl ture.
An earlier ooftu htiplsai pnehera dal reabdeye rne aadta c olloquium
organizaettd h eS orbonbnyte h eI nternatCioolnlaeolgfP e h ilosophy,
undetrh dei recotfiC ohnr istBiuncei Glucksmann.
"Lacdko"e nso t residieg nionr a[tnmhceceeo nnaisosfa nce]
al agnuag(et hFer enlcahn guabgutei )nt, h neo n-mas(tbeieryt
inC reoorl Fer enocfah n)a p prioapdtrl eanguTagheea.u thori­
tariaanndp restiignitoeursv eonftt hiFeor ne nlcahn guage only
strengtthhpeer nossc see[slp erso ceosfls aucsk].
Thed emand oafpp trohpriisad tl aenguiastg hee orremfee di
atebdya criticalo frt ehvFeir seinlocanhn gu.a.ge. .
To theex tetnhtaF tr enlcihn guhiesgteimco [nIyd oem esti·
capgaela rla ngfruaen raiissee x]e rcised am tehcrahonuigsohm f
"humanistmh,ir"se viscioounlp dar taiknwe h at migchaltl ebde
an" nati-mhaunism."
EdouarGdli ssaLneDt i,s coaunrtisl lais
Theraeb ,i rttohl anguatgherg,oh ua labyrinmazteh ionfne a mes
andi detnitceiso iluipn,g aoornue ntdh oet hre:an osatlgriicn g
of tuhnei qu..e .I. n tshtrioysI, d eepblelyi eet vhaltnag uage
istewlafsj ealous.
AbdelkebKhiarit bAim,o ubri lingue
1
-Pitcurteh iism,a gsionmee wohnoew oulcdu latttiehv e
Frelncahn guage.
Whati csa ltlheFedr enlcahn guage.
Somewohnoetm h Fer elnacnhg wuoaugcleud vl attie.
Andw h,oa saF renchw coiubtleidm, zo erne,oas v ueebrtcj,
ofF recnuchl, ta uwsr ese ay.
Nows uppforose ex,a mtphleao,tnd ea ty hsiusb joefc t
Frecnuclhw teurrteeot eylolu g ooidnF rench:
"oIn hlayv oenl ea nguiiatnsg o emt;i ne."
Orr atahnebdre ,t ter still:
Ia mm onionlguMyam lo.n olindgwueallalsni,dsc maIi l tl
myd wleilnigftee; l lsi oknee taon Idmr ee,ma iinn a inidt­n
haibittI i.tn hiatmbseT .h meo nolinignwuh ialciIhds r ma mwy
vebryr eaftroh mmieyse, ,l emNeontt .a enlaentmtune,rotta hle
transpoaftr ehe necytb hueatrna , sb olhuatbei Ittiais t m.p ass­
albei,nd isputIca balen:nc hoaltl ieentxg cebe yp tt esttoii tfysi ng
ominpsreenicnme e I.wt o uladl whaayvse preIcitems de .e d me.
Form et,h miosn oliinsigmmsu e aT.lh acte rtdaoiennsolm tye an
tos aayn,dd on obte l,it ehvIaae tms omael legfiogruoirftce ha ils
aniomartl h tarttu h ecdma olnloliinsBgmuu.Ital w oulndo bte
mysoeultfs iitId.cteo tnistmueti,edt si t cateevset nhip es eoift y
altlh itnomg esa ,n adl psroe scamr oinbaesssot tliuicdf roem e;
asi fe,v ebnfero el eianrngs pteoIak h ,a bdee nb oudb nys oem
2 MonoalliisnOmtguf h Oete hr
vows. Thiisn eaxhutsibsloeli ipmssy issbemel offrm ee L.a inslgty.
[Ade meru]e .
Yeitwt i nlelv emrin ebt,eh liasn gutahogene lo,yn I ea m
thudse stitnoes dp eaaks,lo nags s peeiscp ohs sifbolmre e i n
leia fnidnd ea;yt ohsue nee,v weirtl hlli asn gbueam gienAn ed,.
truttoth e ilntle ,vw ears .
Youa ton caep pcr:liteteh seu orocmfey s ueffri,tn hgpesl ace
ofm yp assisom,ny d esimrype rsar,yst e,hv eo caotfmiy oh no pes,
snictehs li angruuasngr ei gahcstrts oh ealm.B uIta mw rong,
wrotnosg p eoafakc rosasniadpn lgca eF.oi rit so nth sehr oeosf
thFer enlcahn guuanqgiueye,,al nnde itishniendroe or us tiidte,
ont huen plalclee ioanfbie t csot at shasti,nf croee vaenrld,a st­
ignl[ydea m euIrw eo]n,di eofrn c ea lno veen,jo onyee l[sfju ior],
pradyi,feo r mp aino, rj utds ipel,a ainnsdm i pliena, n otlhaenr­
guaogrwe i thtoeultal niynogn ei twa,ibo touhuettv esnp eaking
ata ll.
Buatb oavleal n,td hs ii st hdeo ubedlgeoe fas hasrwpo rd
thta wIi shteocd ofi dnet oy oauml otsw ithsoyauitnaw g o r:Id
suffert aapknlede aisn[u jrisoed uew]h aIat m t elyloiiunno g u r
afeomrentcioomnmelodan n g:u age
"YeIso ,lyn h aovenela nguag,ye eitistn omti ne."
-Yosup eakt hiem opssbilYeo.u r sdpoeenesoct h hold water.
Iwti alllw raeymsa icinoneh ern"tni,c oitnsesnatso,n w"eo u lsda y
inE nlghi.Asp praenitnlcyot nesnaitts, r aangtyre a tuusii nit tos
phenomeelnoalq u,b ecenaceuei strsh etdooretishci e m psosible
witmhe ainnYgou.rs tatemmaeknneotss enishtea n,so c ommon
sneesy,ou c asne iegt e ttcianrgra iwaewydit hit seHlofwc. ould
anyohnaeval e a ngtuhaiagnsteo tth resEi?s peciiofan cleall iy,m s
aysou intsohi asvjteut,o s noen,oe n lalyla,o l eQY?ou a rpeu tting
forwaas rodor fts oleamtnt estthasatttiiu odpdnlr ya igtssb eyl f
thhee sei lnatl oo gcicoandlti rca.t isAoc nhowloaurpl edr haps
Moonlinlguaiosfm O tthhee r
3
diagsnoomesteh wionrgis naec assoes eriwohuipsco,rhf esses,
oni tosw nt,ob ei nucra;bo lne itysou rso ewnnt,ee xntcier pates
itsiena ll fo gciocnalt rahdeiicgthibtoyean pn eedrfl rmora tive
pragmactiocn tradiIctiti sdo ne.s peTrahtepee .ror mfatiev getsure
of etnhcueint aiwoonu ilndt he poravcteth oep opsiotfw eh at
thtee styic mloantiomd se clnaarmeea,lc ye,r ttartiuh'n.� d ,
truttotehl lin,te vwear[s mi ney]uo,d "a rteosad .y T hoen ew ho
speatkshs,eu bjoeftc heten unciyaotulfiro,os hne ,y teehs su,b ­
jceto ft hFer enlcanhg uiausgn ed,e rassdt ooniogtd·h o ep poe sit
ofw hahtes aysi.as si fIi,tno naen tdh sea mber eaytohwu,e re
lyibnycg o ensfstihnlegi A e l.if oerm t heni cnorne dtihbalte
ruitnhcser eodfyi otur rh ertioc.l ibTeeh leii tesbseyv l ifr tue of
thdee eiddtoe s[ paIrfae i dtec q eu 'faiiltb ]yt, h aeco tflan guea.g
Thuisptr voesp,ar ctliltcyha,oe p poosfwi htayeto usrep ecihn ­
tendass stpeoorrv tae,n, gd i tvobe e v ereidPfi.e owpilnleolt s top
dneouncyionuagrb sduirty.
-Is tts h?oaB utth ewhny w outlhde ys tn?oo ptWh syh lodu
thlaat?Es vteyno cua nnsoeettm om anatgoce ov ninyocuesr e,l f
anydo muu ltyi pyloouberjc tialownma,ya sk itnhgse a moen, e
anedxh uastyionugr isnre eldfu nyd.a nc
-Thmeo meynotsu a iynF retnhctahht Fe r elncauhna g­ge
thoen yeo aur sep eakiinntg h miasn nheerra,ett hviryes m o­
mentth,oe n weh ircehn doeuwrros r idnst bellmleoi,erg o irl ess
(twoh oamr wees peagki,mn oreoavnefdrro w ,h oma?nd s hall
wee vbeert raend?s-)lwa et,lt lhiaittns o ytou rl angueavgeen,
thouygouhh avneoo thern oootnn elw,yiy lolfiu n yduo reslf
cauugphi tnt h "ep oemrrafticvoen traodfei ncutnioconinb,"au tti
youw ialllws oor stehlneoi gcaalb surtdhlieiti eynf,,ca , to re ven
thpeej rruyw itthihsnet ateHmoewcn otu.ol ndhe a voen loyn e
langwuiatgtheh o auviannwygi, ot uhatn wyhi cihts h eTihrse?i r