101
Littera
Michael O’Dea
*«LE TuRC EST unE LAnguE
SEPTEnTRIOnALE»: SuR quELquES
RESSEMbLAnCES CHEZ ROuSSEAu EnTRE L’EMPIRE OTTOMAn ET L’EuROPE
MODERnE
SUMMARY
“Turkish is a northern language:” on some resemblances in Rousseau between the Ottoman Empire ent modern Europe
In a note to the Essay on the origin of languages, Rousseau writes without further commentary: “Turkish is a northern language.” This article examines a possible reason for the statement, suggesting in particular that it implies a political judgement hostile to theories of moderate monarchical institutions in western Europe.
Keywords: Rousseau - Turkish language - political theory - Montesquieu - linguistic theory Mots clefs: Rousseau - langue turque - pensée politique - Montesquieu - théorie linguistique
* Université de Lyon-2, UMR LIRE, Rousseau Association