Language Matters: The Linguistic Turn and Its Influence on Contemporary Theory

Author(s)	Dr. Kirti Prakash Sangole
Country	India
Abstract	The linguistic turn marks a profound shift in 20th century thought by placing language at the centre of meaning-making, knowledge formation, and cultural production. Emerging from philosophical, linguistic, and critical theory traditions, it reshaped disciplines across the humanities and social sciences. The movement foregrounded language not merely as a tool for communication but as a constitutive force that structures subjectivity, discourse, and reality. This paper traces the development of the linguistic turn through the ideas of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Ferdinand de Saussure, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, and other influential theorists. It also examines the turn’s impact on contemporary critical practices, from literary studies to digital culture, and highlights the interpretive implications of viewing language as a dynamic and productive system. The paper argues that the linguistic turn continues to influence debates on identity, ideology, representation, and power.
Keywords	Linguistic Turn, Discourse and Power, Language and Meaning making, Representation and Identity.
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 6, November-December 2025
Published On	2025-12-21
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.63758

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