Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Proto-Phenomenology, Language Acquisition, Orality and Literacy: Dwelling in Speech II (New Heidegger Research)

Through his innovative study of language, noted Heidegger scholar Lawrence Hatab offers a proto-phenomenological account of the lived world, the "first" world of factical life, where pre-reflective, immediate disclosiveness precedes and makes possible representational models of language. Common distinctions between mind and world, fact and value, cognition and affect miss the meaning-laden dimension of embodied, practical existence, where language and life are a matter of "dwelling in speech." In this second volume, Hatab supplements and fortifies his initial analysis by offering a detailed treatment of child development and language acquisition, which exhibit a proto-phenomenological world in the making. He then takes up an in-depth study of the differences between oral and written language (particularly in the ancient Greek world) and how the history of alphabetic literacy shows why Western philosophy came to emphasize objective, representational models of cognition and language, which conceal and pass over the presentational domain of dwelling in speech. Such a study offers significant new angles on the nature of philosophy and language. Review Lawrence J. Hatab's Proto-Phenomenology, Language Acquisition, Orality and Literacy: Dwelling in Speech II aims to provide a ("proto-") phenomenology of language acquisition and becoming-literate at both ontogenetic and cultural-historical scales of analysis. ... Hatab's goal in this work is to add to Heideggerian ontology a much-needed developmental dimension, one that renders explicit how it is that an individual comes to find herself dwelling in a meaningful world. ... Hatab's object is not only the world-building character of language, but also the specific effects of literacy for both children and entire cultures. ... Dwelling in Speech II is part of the Rowman & Littlefield "New Heidegger Research" series. For Heideggerians new to 4E cognition, developmental psychology, and literacy studies, this book could be an effective entry into a burgeoning interdisciplinary field. And those already invested in such projects may find inspiration in Hatab's general orientation and the scope of his project. Employing a phenomenological method while pairing ontogenetic and cultural-historical analyses of human development is a grand task, and we should welcome the attempt.--Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences This second volume of Lawrence J. Hatab's Dwelling in Speech demonstrates the power of phenomenology to challenge both mainstream philosophy and the cognitive sciences which employ its metaphysical assumptions. ... Hatab largely avoids Heideggerian terminology to make the work more accessible, developing his own lexicon which calls for some effort but rewards the reader with a wealth of insights into questions of philosophical and scientific import. ... [I]n the two volumes of Dwelling in Speech, Lawrence Hatab has applied Heideggerian conceptions such as world disclosure and dwelling to a wide array of philosophical and empirical questions, thereby demonstrating the power of phenomenology to examine underlying metaphysical assumptions and recommend concrete research directions as a result. In particular, the notion of language as world disclosive is most powerful. We also see the richness of the lived world, which is what originally excited Heidegger about Husserl's work. Hatab helps to bring that vision to fruition with this effort.--Phenomenological Reviews This volume will be valuable as a stand-alone work for those interested in phenomenological methods, early cognitive development, primary language acquisition, and the cultural effects of widespread literacy.--Review of Metaphysics Written with elegance and ease, Lawrence J. Hatab's book argues that language is embedded in the lived world. Its thorough description of experiences that are not usually considered by philosophy adds a note of surprise. By the end of the book, the reader has gained val