The Primal Scattering of Languages: Philosophies, Myths and Genders :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

The Primal Scattering of Languages Philosophies, Myths and GendersABSTRACT In After Babel, George Steiner recounts two main conjectures in mythology which beg off the mystery of many tongues on which a view of edition hinges. One such mythic tale is the tower of Babel, which non only Steiner, but similarly Jacques Derrida after him, take as their starting point to court the question of translation the other conjecture tells of some awful error which was committed, an accidental release of linguistic chaos, in the mode of Pandoras Box (Steiner). This paper give take this other conjecture, the myth of Pandora, first woman of the Greek creation myth, as its point of departure, not only to offer a feminized version of the underlying scattering of languages, but to rewrite in a positive light and therefore also toreverse the banish and misogynist association of Pandora with mans fall. But, rather than exposing the entrenched patriarchal bias in mythographers interpretations of Pand ora, my foremost aim is to pose, through her figure, questions about language and woman, and, by extension, the mother tongue and female sexuality. In After Babel George Steiner recounts two main conjectures in mythology which explain the mystery of many tongues on which a view of translation hinges. One such mythic tale is the tower of Babel, which not only Steiner, but also Jacques Derrida after him, take as their starting point to approach the question of translation the other conjecture tells of some awful error which was committed, an accidental release of linguistic chaos, in the mode of Pandoras Box (Steiner 197557). This paper will take this other conjecture, the myth of Pandora, first woman of the Greek creation myth, as its point of departure, not only to offer a feminized version of the primal scattering of languages, but to rewrite in a positive light and therefore also reverse the negative and misogynist association of Pandora with mans fall.Rather than adopting the li neal account Derrida or Steiner give as regards the origin of translation, I will use the figure of Pandora to combine, and rewrite, aspects both of the Babel myth and the Oedipus myth. This is because, whilst Babel is associated with loss, the loss of one tongue, and Oedipus is associated with lack, mans castration anxiety, Pandoras turning point has been associated with both the threat of linguistic chaos, i.e. the loss of understanding, and the threat of womans sexuality, i.