Thought, speech and the genesis of meaning: On the 50th anniversary of Vygotsky's Myšlenie i reč'

Abstract

This article seeks to present Vygotsky's theoretical perspective as an integral whole as an antidote to the desire to plunder his work for isolated insights. The first part of the paper treats Vygotsky's views on method: his critique of the prevailing psychological orthodoxies; his recommendation that the higher mental functions be seen as standing in interfunctional relations of mutual determination; his technique of ‘unit analysis’. The second part discusses the method in action: Vygotsky's genetic account of the development of consciousness, on which the key point in ontogenesis is taken to be the convergence of two initially independently developing faculties: thought and speech; the notion of internalisation and its defence; the critique of Piaget; the concepts of ‘inner speech’ and developed thought. The author hopes this article will serve as an aid to reading the limited sources of Vygotsky's writings presently available in English.