Ludwig Wittgenstein on the Unsurveyability of Grammar and the Way of Its Comprehension

Abstract

The aim of the article is to comprehend Wittgenstein's thesis on the unsurveyability of grammar and cognitive capabilities of the method of surveyable representation (ubersichtliche Darstellung) about word use. The cognitive position of the late Wittgenstein regarding the understanding of the essence of language and the pragmatic orientation of his philosophy is clarified. The article includes three main sections. The first section gives an interpretation of Wittgenstein's point of view on grammar as an unsurveyable totality; his arguments in defense of this point of view are reconstructed. It is emphasized that the word “grammar”, according to Wittgenstein, means the established models of people's linguistic behavior rather than a system of abstract grammatical rules. The specificity and functionality of the surveyable representation aimed at understanding the language is analyzed, the strengths and weaknesses of this method are identified. Wittgenstein's arguments of refuting the opinion about the possibility of forming a comprehensive, clear view of our grammar are discussed. Wittgenstein's assertion that “our grammar lacks surveyability” is characterized as an evidence of his rejection of the “picture” conception of language. The second section considers the ontological condition for the existence of grammar as an unsurveyable totality of linguistic elements. From the standpoint of Wittgenstein's philosophy, grammar is characterized by a considerable complexity as an open, unstable system. The features of grammar that prevent the construction of a clear idea of it - complexity, variability, opacity of words used - are revealed. The third section clarifies the actual practice of mastering grammar by human beings. The assumption of the possibility of replacing the unsurveyable ordinary language with an artificial language accessible to surveyability is refuted. It is argued that our ability to use words, to master grammar is achieved not by construction of surveyable representations of the meaning of words and grammatical rules, but through imitation and formed habits, through training and acquired practical skills. It is concluded that people come to understand unsurveyable grammar primarily on the basis of their practical experience, and not through the formation of a surveyable representation about word use. The method of surveyable representation, leading to an understanding of grammatical structures, can serve as a means for standardizing and ordering linguistic practices, for eliminating conceptual confusion, for understanding various forms of social activity, but it does not provide a synoptic vision of grammar, which is an essentially complex system.