Applying Langue and Parole to Bakhtin’s “Discourse in The Novel”

Last class I had the task of defining what the terms “langue” and “parole” meant, and then apply them to the context of our reading for the day, which was Bakhtin. Unfortunately, I didn’t have as deep an understanding of Bakhtin’s theories at the time, so I couldn’t go as in depth with the words as I had wished. But now, after a more thorough reading, I can relate the definitions of the words to Bakhtin’s description of the novel in his paper.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, langue is akin to linguistics, in that it is that acceptance of a greater system of language within a speech community. I related this to understanding the general grammar of language, like when learning Spanish from a textbook. Parole, on the other hand, is the use of day-to-day language. It’s affected by our society and culture and isn’t bound by the constraints of langue, or the acknowledgement of a set language. And parole in turn affects langue. Changes in the use of language change our perception of how an actual language is used, and therefore our idea of langue. Both terms seem to refer to evolving entities. But while the parole evolves rapidly, langue experiences a slower process of evolution. It evolves with parole, when new words, changes in grammar, and other parts of language become widely accepted and acknowledged.

Bakhtin says “the novel can be defined as a diversity of social speech types (sometimes even diversity of languages) and a diversity of individual voices, artistically organized” (262). For Bakhtin, the novel is a manifestation and materialization of parole. It is the language and grammar that individuals use day-to-day, inscribed onto a piece of paper. The great influence of many voices, ideas, and aspects of language like grammar, syntax, and lexicon all funnel into the making of a novel.  Bakhtin says, “this internal stratification present in every language at any given moment of its historical existence is the indispensable prerequisite for the novel as a genre” (263). Another way of saying this is that our “parole”, our everyday use and modification of language, affects how we write and what we write.

Novels are therefore a product of parole, which in turn can affect our language, our acceptance of the structure of a language. They are a symbol of the present culture. But they are also a symbol of the state of parole at a certain point in time. They are a discontinuation of its evolution.