Mariano Larsen y la filología. Aproximaciones lingüísticas a la historia americana ; Mariano Larsen and the philology. Linguistic approaches to American history
In this article we analyses three works of Mariano Larsen (1821-1894): teacher, translator, theologian and historian of broad participation in the Argentine intellectual sphere in the second half of the XIXth century. His publications –América Antecolombiana (1865), "Filología Americana. La lengua quichua y el doctor López" (1870) and "Apéndice sobre las lenguas quichua, aimara y pampa" (1882)– have historiographical value in at least three dimensions: first, because they are part of a series in which we identify Larsen's philological work; second, because they show how the scientific world of nineteenth-century considered the rigorous methodology of historical-comparative linguistics; and, finally, because they are discursive practices that exhibit the way in what the science of language can be used for political purposes (Del Valle & Stheeman 2004, Ennis 2018, Battista 2019a). According to our observations, in order to explain the ethnic affiliations between the American Indians and the Asian and European peoples, Larsen resorted to linguistic comparison; specifically, through the reconstruction of Pelasgo-Greek, Sanskrit-Quichua and Araucano-Pampas words, he used the science of language to support his interpretations of the migrations. We consider that, by transforming "mythical names into words", the philology practiced by Larsen was, following Agamben (1978) terminology, a kind of "critical mythology". ; In this article we analyses three works of Mariano Larsen (1821-1894): teacher, translator, theologian and historian of broad participation in the Argentine intellectual sphere in the second half of the XIXth century. His publications –América Antecolombiana (1865), "Filología Americana. La lengua quichua y el doctor López" (1870) and "Apéndice sobre las lenguas quichua, aimara y pampa" (1882)– have historiographical value in at least three dimensions: first, because they are part of a series in which we identify Larsen's philological work; second, because they show how the scientific world of nineteenth-century considered the rigorous methodology of historical-comparative linguistics; and, finally, because they are discursive practices that exhibit the way in what the science of language can be used for political purposes (Del Valle & Stheeman 2004, Ennis 2018, Battista 2019a). According to our observations, in order to explain the ethnic affiliations between the American Indians and the Asian and European peoples, Larsen resorted to linguistic comparison; specifically, through the reconstruction of Pelasgo-Greek, Sanskrit-Quichua and Araucano-Pampas words, he used the science of language to support his interpretations of the migrations. We consider that, by transforming "mythical names into words", the philology practiced by Larsen was, following Agamben (1978) terminology, a kind of "critical mythology". ; Nuestra contribución se detiene en el análisis de tres trabajos de Mariano Larsen (1821- 1894): docente, traductor, teólogo e historiador de gran participación en el ámbito intelectual argentino de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX. Estos materiales –América Antecolombiana (1865), "Filología Americana. La lengua quichua y el doctor López" (1870) y "Apéndice sobre las lenguas quichua, aimara y pampa" (1882)– se hallan revestidos de un valor historiográfico en al menos tres sentidos: en primer lugar, porque forman parte de una serie en la que identificamos la labor filológica de Larsen; en segunda instancia, porque dan cuenta del lugar que en tiempos decimonónicos el saber (científico) le asignaba al rigor metodológico de la lingüística histórico-comparativa; y, finalmente, porque constituyen prácticas discursivas que exhiben la capacidad de utilización política de la ciencia del lenguaje (Del Valle & Stheeman 2004, Ennis 2018, Battista 2019a). Según observamos, para explicar las filiaciones entre los indígenas americanos y los pueblos asiáticos y europeos, Larsen recurría al comparatismo lingüístico; en concreto, a través de la reconstrucción de vocablos pelasgo-griegos, sánscrito-quichuas y araucano-pampas, ponía la ciencia del lenguaje al servicio de sus interpretaciones de desplazamiento. Consideramos que, al transformar los "nombres míticos en palabras", la filología practicada por Larsen era, siguiendo la terminología de Agamben (1978), una suerte de "mitología crítica". ; In this article we analyses three works of Mariano Larsen (1821-1894): teacher, translator, theologian and historian of broad participation in the Argentine intellectual sphere in the second half of the XIXth century. His publications –América Antecolombiana (1865), "Filología Americana. La lengua quichua y el doctor López" (1870) and "Apéndice sobre las lenguas quichua, aimara y pampa" (1882)– have historiographical value in at least three dimensions: first, because they are part of a series in which we identify Larsen's philological work; second, because they show how the scientific world of nineteenth-century considered the rigorous methodology of historical-comparative linguistics; and, finally, because they are discursive practices that exhibit the way in what the science of language can be used for political purposes (Del Valle & Stheeman 2004, Ennis 2018, Battista 2019a). According to our observations, in order to explain the ethnic affiliations between the American Indians and the Asian and European peoples, Larsen resorted to linguistic comparison; specifically, through the reconstruction of Pelasgo-Greek, Sanskrit-Quichua and Araucano-Pampas words, he used the science of language to support his interpretations of the migrations. We consider that, by transforming "mythical names into words", the philology practiced by Larsen was, following Agamben (1978) terminology, a kind of "critical mythology". ; In this article we analyses three works of Mariano Larsen (1821-1894): teacher, translator, theologian and historian of broad participation in the Argentine intellectual sphere in the second half of the XIXth century. His publications –América Antecolombiana (1865), "Filología Americana. La lengua quichua y el doctor López" (1870) and "Apéndice sobre las lenguas quichua, aimara y pampa" (1882)– have historiographical value in at least three dimensions: first, because they are part of a series in which we identify Larsen's philological work; second, because they show how the scientific world of nineteenth-century considered the rigorous methodology of historical-comparative linguistics; and, finally, because they are discursive practices that exhibit the way in what the science of language can be used for political purposes (Del Valle & Stheeman 2004, Ennis 2018, Battista 2019a). According to our observations, in order to explain the ethnic affiliations between the American Indians and the Asian and European peoples, Larsen resorted to linguistic comparison; specifically, through the reconstruction of Pelasgo-Greek, Sanskrit-Quichua and Araucano-Pampas words, he used the science of language to support his interpretations of the migrations. We consider that, by transforming "mythical names into words", the philology practiced by Larsen was, following Agamben (1978) terminology, a kind of "critical mythology".
