Reflex theory in a linguistic context: Sergej M. Dobrogaev on the social nature of speech production

Abstract

The development of reflex theory in its Pavlovian interpretation had significant resonance in a wide range of academic research areas. Its impact on the so-called humanities was, perhaps, no less than the effect it had in medical science. The idea of the conditioned reflex suggesting a physiological explanation of behaviour patterns received a particularly warm welcome in philosophy and psychology as it provided a scientifically-based tool for a conceptual u-turn towards objectivism. This article looks into the ways these ideas contributed to the formation of the Soviet language theory, namely, to the sociological interpretation of language development and speech production presented in the pioneering works of Sergej M. Dobrogaev .Keywords Physiology of speech Á Dobrogaev Á Social phonology Á Pavlovian linguisticsThe theory of language somehow never lost its attraction toward biological metaphors, be it due to their transparency, scientific rigidity, the way linguistics positioned itself within the system of academic disciplines, or due to the academic and ideological weight of biology in particular periods throughout history. The early Soviet state created particularly good conditions for the development of both linguistics and biology, supporting the most promising projects financially and providing the necessary research base for them to be carried out. However, as immediate social value and ideological ''correctness'' soon became the most

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“…Studying multimodal aspects of communication is not a recent thing, with Dobrogaev stating back in the 1920s that human speech consists of three inseparable elements, namely sound, facial expressions and gestures. According to Dobrogaev it is unnatural to completely leave out or suppress one of these three aspects and doing so will always affect the other two aspects of speech (Chown, 2008). However, by suppressing one of these inseparable elements, we can find out more about the relationship between all multimodal elements of communication, such as speech and gesture.…”

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“…Nos publications antérieures(Simonato 2008(Simonato , 2013b nous amènent à la conclusion que, malgré certaines affirmations(Chown 2008), Polivanov appartient bien à l'école phonologique de Leningrad, et non à celle de Moscou.…”