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EDITORIAL
The Theories of Ferdinand de Saussure, Mikhail Bakhtin and Émile
Benveniste: Potential Relations and Epistemological Legacies / As
teorias de Ferdinand de Saussure, Mikhail Bakhtin e Émile Benveniste:
relações possíveis e heranças epistemológicas
The reader will certainly notice a certain ambiguity in the title above, which
summarizes the thematic proposal of this issue of Bakhtiniana. Is it necessarily a matter
of coming up with relations between the three above-mentioned thinkers? Or is it possible
to prioritize only one dyad? In the set of works that we present below, as we shall see, it
is possible to find both interpretations. And we have purposely preserved the ambiguity,
because our expectation – which was fortunately fulfilled – was that it would lead to a
call for interpretation to our collaborators. We believed that the maintenance of this
interpretative space would lead to the production of articles that would subsidize a
reflective plurality around the concepts of “potential relations” and “epistemological
legacies,” which actually happened. Let us spend a few moments discussing each one.
The concept of “potential relations,” when applied to systems of thought, can
undoubtedly be a source of improprieties that verge on a sense of misunderstanding in
theoretical and methodological terms. There is no shortage of works in which we can find,
among theories, the affirmation of relations that have no epistemological support. This is
a fact. But this same idea can be a driving force for the exploration of other ways of
thinking. In other words, counterpoint readings can lead to the emergence of something
new; and it is beneficial that a given field of knowledge makes room for the new to
emerge. We invested in this second interpretation of “potential relations;” and we were
successful.
Further on, the reader will find works that appropriately – and why not say
creatively – explored points of contact between Saussure, Bakhtin and Benveniste to
promote a gesture of innovation in language studies and solve problems other than those
originally thought of by our authors. Now, what other way would we have to extend
knowledge in a field that reflects on human language? What other mechanism would be
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available to help us move away from mere repetition and head towards building
something new?
The establishment of “potential relations” necessarily leads to evoking the past of
the theories, that which has been widely shared. In this regard, it is worth bringing up the
beautiful book For What Tomorrow: A Dialogue (2004),
1
which depicts a long dialogue
between the psychoanalyst Elizabeth Roudinesco and the philosopher Jacques Derrida, in
which, right in the very first chapter, we see the psychoanalyst defending, with regard to
what she calls “sterile ostracism” (the recurrent attitude of simply rejecting the thinkers
of the 1970s, marked by the structuralist conjuncture), that the important thing is to
choose one’s own legacy, without having to consequently accept or reject everything, or
make a clean slate. The psychoanalyst has a point.
In a way, reading and rereading theories, and consequently establishing possible
dialogues between them – whether they are critical, unfavorable, favorable, whatever – is
a way of keeping them alive, of making them speak, of preserving them as the
retrospective basis for a consequential prospection.
The concept of “epistemological legacies” is configured, based on this approach,
in the effect provided by the assumption of “possible relations.” This is supported by a
courageous attitude by Henri Meschonnic who, regarding the Humboldt-Saussure-
Benveniste relation, considers that “a thought from Humboldt can be recognized where
an affiliation is not expressly claimed” (Meschonnic, 1995, p. 16; our translation).
2
This attitude is certainly quite intriguing, as it provides the opportunity to propose
relations between authors not only by the explicit content of their texts, but also by the
fact that they address similar issues, of the same epistemological order. The works that
make up this issue of Bakhtiniana explore exactly this aspect and show that an author can
be aligned with another without necessarily needing a direct citation and without this
implying a systematization of differences.
The Journal begins with two articles that emphasize the interpretative perspective
that relates Saussure, Bakhtin, and Benveniste. Patrícia da Silva Valério’s work (UPF/RS)
1
DERRIDA, Jacques; ROUDINESCO, Elisabeth. For What Tomorrow: A Dialogue. Cultural Memory in
the Present. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2004.
2
In the original: “une pensée Humboldt peut se reconnaître là où une filiation n’est pas expressément
revendiquée.”
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– “Saussure, Bakhtin and Benveniste: The Legacy of Three Pillars in Language Teaching
and Thought” proposes a truly original approach: it seeks to connect the authors using the
classroom approach. All three were teachers and, from this point of view, they shared the
20th century, leaving a significant impact on the field of linguistic thought, whose legacy
continues to influence debates. The article examines the authors’ biographies,
highlighting both what brings them together and what sets them apart in terms of the
teaching practice. In turn, the work by Marlete Sandra Diedrich, Gabriela Golembieski,
and Marina de Oliveira (UPF/IHCEC/RS) – “Contributions of Ferdinand de Saussure,
Mikhail Bakhtin and Émile Benveniste to Language Acquisition Studies in Brazil” invests
in the same understanding of “potential relations,” involving the three thinkers in an
unprecedented debate regarding language acquisition, a topic not directly developed by
them. The article presents a summary table, with emphasis on Brazilian linguistics,
focused on the acquisition-based studies that were influenced by the three authors: based
on Saussurean assumptions, social-interactionist studies; from the Bakhtinian
perspective, the dialogic-discursive approach; and from Benveniste’s outlook, the
enunciative perspective.
Saussure-Bakhtin relations are addressed in two other works. In “Bakhtin and
Linguistics: A Dialogue Settled in the Beginning of the 20’s,” the authors (GP Linguagem,
Identidade e Memória [Research Group Language, Identity, and Memory] – PUC/SP,
UFSCar, UFRJ, Universidade Paris VIII, UFBA, UFAC, UFAL, UENP) explore the
reference to Saussure in Bakhtin’s work from three perspectives: based on Saussure’s
presence in the Circle’s writings; from Bakhtin’s dialogue with science in the unity of
culture; and from the dialogue with linguistic science, especially with the Geneva School
in “The Problem of Content, Material, and Form in Verbal Art.”
3
The text is built on the
concept of “scientific-philosophical counterpoint,” a theoretical move considered
necessary for the constitution of Bakhtin’s dialogical theory, a concept that constitutes a
true category of epistemological analysis whose effects can be extended to the study of
other theoretical relations, among authors other than those discussed here. Then, in “How
3
BAKHTIN, M. Supplement: The Problem of Content, Material, and Form in Verbal Art. In: Art and
Answerability. Early Philosophical Essays by M. M. Bakhtin. Translated by Keneth Brostrom (notes by
Michael Holquist, including material from the editor of the Russian edition, S. G. Bocharov). Austin:
University of Texas Press, 1990, pp. 257-325.
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Much Saussure Is There in Bakhtin’s work? A Study Based on a Comment on the
Translation of Rabelais into Russian,” Valdir do Nascimento Flores (UFRGS) also turns
to Saussure-Bakhtin to address a possible aspect of this relation, based on Henri
Meschonnic’s commentary on the translation of Bakhtin’s work on François Rabelais into
Russian, cited by Meschonnic in the context of an anti-structuralist reading of Saussure.
The article concludes by discussing the relevance of addressing metalinguistic comments
– such as comments on translations – which can be the focus of an enunciative-
anthropological theorizing process.
The last two articles examine the relations – of affiliation, influence, opposition,
etc. – between Saussure and Benveniste. The article by Sara Luiza Hoff (UFRGS) and
Gabriela Barboza (FURG) – “Languages, Language, and Linguists: The Study of the
Diversity of Languages According to Saussure and Benveniste” addresses aspects related
to the treatment given to languages by both linguists. Selected works by the authors are
examined, seeking to discuss, based on evidence, the role they grant to languages in their
theorizing processes. The study points to the protagonism of language diversity as one of
the points of convergence between the two linguists. The article by Eduardo Alves
Rodrigues (UNICAMP) and Cármen Agustini (UFU), “Benveniste-Saussure: A Never-
Ending Affiliation Relationship,” discusses the concept of affiliation in the theoretical-
methodological framework of the Discourse Analysis, from which they analyze relations
between Benveniste's and Saussure's thoughts. The analysis indicates that such an
affiliation relationship can be seen as a dialogue, in which both a movement of
approximation and displacement/detachment from the Benvenistian thought to the
Saussurean thought can be noticed.
This issue of the Journal also includes two works of a different nature from the
others. First, an interview with Professor Eduardo Guimarães, a well-known Brazilian
linguist with significant institutional activity both in Brazil and abroad, and author of
countless publications that have consolidated several studies in the field of Brazilian
linguistics. This interview, carried out by Verli Petri (UFSM) and Heitor Pereira Lima
(PUC-Minas), documents an important journey; its publication is therefore timely.
Finally, we have also included a review by Alena Ciulla (UFRGS) of the book Saussure
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e a Escola de Genebra [Saussure and the Geneva School],
4
recently organized and
published by Valdir do Nascimento Flores and Gabriel de Ávila Othero. This is a
collection of articles (one written by the organizers themselves and eight others translated
from French to Portuguese) that provides an insight into the life and work of linguists
who succeeded Saussure in his linguistic program – linguists belonging to the “Geneva
School,” Albert Sechehaye in particular, but also Charles Bally and Henri Frei. As is well
known, the “Geneva School” is repeatedly evoked by Bakhtin in some of his works. It is
therefore a good idea to publish a review that helps to spread the material contained in
the book.
As the reader will easily notice, this Bakhtinian edition brings together a set of
important studies aimed at improving the background of Brazilian linguists and
consolidating analytical perspectives and theoretical approaches. This alone makes it
welcome among us. But there is more: it gives voice to the dialogue between different
perspectives for understanding human language; this is beneficial and necessary in today's
reality, which sees so much resistance to peaceful and fruitful debates.
A final acknowledgment goes out to the Journal’s Editorial team: their confidence
and competence, combined with their kindness and a true collaborative spirit, made this
work a pleasure for all involved. With them, we thank the invaluable support, assistance
and recognition from PUC-SP, through the Plano de Incentivo à Pesquisa (PIPEq)/
publicação de periódicos em 2024 (PubPer-PUC-SP) – 2º semestre de 2023 EDITAL
PIPEq 11956/2023, Solicitação 29157 [Incentive Research Plan (PIPEq)/ Academic
Journal Publication (PubPer-PUCSP) – 2nd Semester of 2023 NOTICE PIPEq
11956/2023, Request 29157] and CNPq/CAPES, call CNPq/CAPES No. 30/2023
Programa Editorial (Versão Republicada) [Editorial Programa (Reprint Version)].
REFERENCES
BAKHTIN, Mikhail. O problema do conteúdo do material e da forma na criação artística.
In: BAKHTIN, Mikhail. Questões de literatura e de estética: a teoria do romance. 3. ed.
Tradução Aurora F. Bernardini, José Pereira Júnior, Augusto Góes Júnior, Helena S.
Nazário, Homero F. de Andrade. São Paulo: UNESP/HUCITEC, 1993, p. 13-70. [1924].
4
FLORES, Valdir do Nascimento; OTHERO, Gabriel (eds.). Saussure e a Escola de Genebra. São Paulo:
Contexto, 2023. 208p.
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DERRIDA, Jacques; ROUDINESCO, Elisabeth. De que amanhã ... Diálogo. Hans
Robert. A literatura como provocação. Trad. André Telles. Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar
Editor, 2004.
MESCHONNIC, Henri. Penser Humboldt aujourd’hui. In: MESCHONNIC, Henri (org.).
La pensée dans la langue: Humboldt et après. Saint-Denis: Presses Universitaires de
Vincennes, 1995. p. 13-50.
Valdir do Nascimento Flores*
Pierre-Yves Testenoire**
* Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS, Instituto de Letras, Departamento de Letras
Clássicas e Vernáculas, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Bolsista PQ-CNPq; https://orcid.org/0000-
0003-2676-3834; vnf.ufrgs@gmail.com
** Universitté de Paris III-Sorbonne Nouvelle, Laboratório de História das Teorias Linguísticas, Maître de
conférences HDR en sciences du langage (Sorbonne Université / INSPE de Paris), Paris, France;
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5358-0091; pytestenoire@yahoo.fr