ON FREEDOM OF A NATIVE WORD: CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES IN STUDIES OF LITHUANIAN CULTURE AND HUMANITIES Cover Image

APIE GIMTOJO ŽODŽIO LAISVĘ: ŠIUOLAIKINIAI IŠŠŪKIAI LITUANISTIKAI IR HUMANISTIKAI
ON FREEDOM OF A NATIVE WORD: CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES IN STUDIES OF LITHUANIAN CULTURE AND HUMANITIES

Author(s): Rasius Makselis
Subject(s): Cultural history, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Communication studies, Baltic Languages, Philosophy of Language
Published by: Visuomeninė organizacija »LOGOS«
Keywords: freedom of speech; native tongue; studies of Lithuanian culture; humanities;

Summary/Abstract: The article explores relationships between the concept of a native language and the idea of freedom of speech. A number of examples from personal experience and experience of other people is provided in order to illustrate psychological trauma of loosing one’s connection with native linguistic environment. Analysis concludes with a suggestion to complement widely used negative definition of freedom of speech as freedom of expression without external obstacles with a positive definition of speech, which would refer to elimination of inner impediments for act of meaningful speaking. According to this definition of freedom of speech, three elements are required for its realization: a) personal competence of speaking (the “who”), a) availability of viable linguistic community (the “with whom”) and c) availability of meaningful content (the “about what”). It is suggested, that it is exactly these three elements of freedom of speech that should be regarded as justification and strategic objectives for humanities and studies of Lithuanian culture.

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: 97
  • Page Range: 153-166
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Lithuanian