On Lacan’s Theory Of Language

This dissertation mainly discusses Lacan’s theory of language with the aim todisclose the main content and the contribution of it. Lacan’s theory of language hastranscended the field of traditional language research and entered a new field thatsurpasses language, which has much to do with his research on “subject”. Subject isthe focus of Lacan’s life-long research, during which Lacan discovers how subject isconstructed and subject’s appearances as being-in-the-world, that is, subject’s status inthe complicated social network. This discovery was made through the application oflanguage theory. Therefore, only his theory of language is researched thoroughly, canall the mysteries of subject be disclosed.The combination of language and subject makes the research on Lacan can beconducted from two perspectives. One is language, and the other is subject. Whateverperspective you choose, you can’t avoid the other one. Now in China’s academiccircle, the research on Lacan is mainly conducted from the perspective of his subjecttheory. However, most native researchers focus on the construction of subject in theImaginary Order and the Symbolic Order, while neglecting the Real Order which isthe logical origin of language. In fact, subject is constructed in the topologicalinterweaving of all the above orders, so subject can’t be explained explicitly withoutthe Real Order. Lacan’s language theory not only displays how subject is constructed,but also shows the appearances of subject as being-in-the-world, which is oftenneglected by native researchers. This dissertation focuses on Lacan’s language theorywith the attempt to research Lacan’s theory from a new perspective. There are tworeasons for choosing this perspective. One is that Lacan’s language theory is rarelymarshaled comprehensively and his theoretical contribution to subject theory hasn’t been stated completely. The other reason is that Lacan’s theory broadens the scope oflanguage research and promotes the development of semiotics and philosophy oflanguage. Therefore, in this dissertation, the main task is to comprehensivelysummarize and marshal Lacan’s theory of language, with the aim to reveal the mainbreakthrough of this great thinker in the field of subject research.In Chapter One, this dissertation first introduces the research background both athome and abroad, the outline of the whole dissertation, and then Lacan’s academicorigins.Saussure’s semiotic theory is a powerful tool in the construction of Lacaniantheory and the “signifier” borrowed by Lacan from Saussure is a key word that runsthrough his whole theories. Therefore, Chapter Two mainly introduces Saussure’stheory of semiotics and Lacan’s disruptive applications of these theories for thepurpose of better understanding the following chapters. Lacan thinks there is noone-to-one corresponding relationship between signifiers and signifieds. Signifiersdetermine signifieds and the signifier chain continuously slides on the signified chain,thus causing continuous displacement of meaning. Enlightened by Freud andJakobson, Lacan holds the opinion that on the signifier chain, signifiers are combinedinto a sentence according to the mechanism of metaphor and metonymy and finallyproduce a meaning, which is not only the working mechanism of language, but alsothe mechanism of unconsciousness. Therefore, the unconsciousness has a languagestructure. If Saussure initiates the first generation of semiotics, Lacan can be regardedas the main representative of second generation of semiotics. His open view ofsymbols has deep influences on the French intellectual circle, hence the structuralismdevelops into post-structuralism, directly leading to the emergence of the thirdgeneration of semiotics.Chapter Three mainly introduces how language constructs subject withsemiotics. Lacan’s view is that the process of subject’s construction is the process ofhow an individual acquires language. Lacan differentiates the three orders whichorganize the whole world in which we live: the Imaginary Order, the Symbolic Orderand the Real Order. The Imaginary Order is closely related to Lacan’s mirror stage theory of his early years. Lacan thinks the infant at the age of6-18months forms adivided imaginary self by identifying with the image in the mirror. In this stage, theinfant learns “identification”, which is critical to his future language acquisition. It isjust because he masters the ability of “identification”, he can identify with the socialrules and symbolic orders represented by “the Name of Father” after mirror stage andthen enters the Symbolic Order. However, the social rules and the Symbolic Orders arenot fixed, but consist of floating signifiers which form the Other. Signifiers form asignifier chain according to a differentiating rule and are interwoven to form asignifier net containing us, that is, the Other or the Symbolic Order. The Other is theplace where unconsciousness recalls. As a speaking form of the Other,unconsciousness speaks continuously to subject，so unconsciousness influences andconstructs subject. Although subject explains everything with signifiers, the latterexist before the former and the working of the latter determines the position of theformer in the discourse. Therefore, subject is the result of signifiers’ working anddetermined by the Symbolic Order outside the subject. When subject begins to think“I”,“I” is put into the Symbolic Order, then “I” is split and alienated. When subjectdoesn’t think,“I” am myself. Lacan concludes that I exist when I’m not thinking and Ido not exist when I’m thinking. Therefore, the rational subject of Descartes is drivenout from altar. Lacan does not only pay attention to the metaphysical functions oflanguage, but also elaborates the syntactic problems in physical daily language whendiscussing the functions of the Symbolic Order. He finds that syntax is generated aftermultiple categorization rules.Language constructs one’s subject, then where does language derive from? Onlythe origin of language is found out, can the logical origin of subject be found out.Chapter Four focally discusses the Real Order-the source of language, as well aslanguage problems it solves. Since the ancient times, human beings have alreadyspeculated the origin of language. The earlier hypotheses all regard language as a toolwhich was born before subjects. The Real Order put forward by Lacan creativelyexpounded this question, which discovers the logical priority of language to subject.Moreover, the proposing of the Real Order also solves some complicated problems in language research. On the whole, The Real Order refers to a void, the field unable tobe symbolized and an entity that does not even exit，which is only a logic constructionthrough backtracking. Subject is constructed by Language which centers on a void.Therefore, subject is born under the coordinated work of the above three Orders,which do not work in a linear order, but in a topological structure.Influenced by Foucault, and based on the discrimination between langue andparole, Lacan put forward a new dimension of language—discourse. This theoreticalinnovation is the main content of Chapter Five. Discourse refers to the languagestructure remained by removing all thoughts and contents of language. What kind oflanguage structure people adopt is determined by the position of one’s subject in thediscourse. Accordingly, Lacan differentiates four discourses: master’s discourse,university discourse, analyst’s discourse, and hysteric’s discourse. The four coursesdisclose the four appearances of subject as being-in-the-world: master, slave, hystericand analyst. Lacan’s theory of discourse promotes the “discourse turn”.Chapter Six discusses the current application and deficiency of Lacan’s languageview. Lacan’s theory is supported and advocated by plenty of scholars. However,criticisms can be heard without end as well. Lacan fails to explain how words arecombined into sentences, which is a major deficiency of his language theory. Heendows signifiers with a supreme position, transforming all phenomena of psychicdeterminism into a language process, neglecting the existence of the external world ofobjects. Derrida criticizes that Lacan and all the other philosophers haven’t brokenaway from the constraint of "voice centralism". In fact, Derrida’s criticism is biased.Although Lacan adopts the form of voice centralism in his research, the content of histheory actually belongs to Derrida’s deconstructivism. The most controversial part ofLacan is the male chauvinism reflected in his theory. He holds that female is unable toestablish a complete subject in the Symbolic Order. In this sense, female does not exist.This controversial judgment is fiercely protested by feminists. Feminists’ counteringweapon is just proposed by Lacan. They make use of Lacan’s discrimination betweenthe Symbolic Order and the Imaginary Order to re-establish females’ status. They alsoput forward the assumption of how to help females construct their subjects and present their own voice. In recent year, Lacan’s language theory is being attached with moreand more importance by scholars. Among all these scholars, the most representativefigure shall be Zizek. He applies Lacan’s language theory in ideology criticism,literature analysis, film comment, analyses of current affairs and various other fields,bringing the theory with brightness in the new century.Influenced by psychoanalysis and Saussure’s semiotics, enlightened byHeidegger and Hegel, Lacan shows the process of subject’s construction and subject’sappearances as being-in-the-world through an all-round explanation about the nature,function, origin and application of language. Therefore, the theory of language is animportant tool for Lacan to research subject.