Marxism and Problems of Linguistics - From Marx to Mao

The point is that social phenomena have, in addition tothis common feature, their own specific features which distinguishthem from each other and which are of primary importancefor science. The specific features of the base consistin that it serves society economically. The specific featuresof the superstructure consist in that it serves society by meansof political, legal, aesthetic and other ideas and providessociety with corresponding political, legal and other institutions.What then are the specific features of language,distinguishing it from other social phenomena? They consistin that language serves society as a means of intercourse betweenpeople, as a means for exchanging thoughts in society,as a means enabling people to understand one another andto co-ordinate joint work in all spheres of human activity,both in the sphere of production and in the sphere of economicrelations, both in the sphere of politics and in the sphere ofculture, both in social life and in everyday life. These specificfeatures are characteristic only of language, and preciselybecause they are characteristic only of language, language isthe object of study by an independent science — linguistics.If there were no such specific features of language, linguisticswould lose its right to independent existence.In brief: language cannot be included either in the categoryof bases or in the category of superstructures.Nor can it be included in the category of “intermediate”phenomena between the base and the superstructure, for such“intermediate” phenomena do not exist.But perhaps language could be included in the categoryof the productive forces of society, in the category, say, ofinstruments of production? Indeed, there does exist a certainanalogy between language and instruments of produc-34