Abel Hovelacque e a escola de linguística naturalista: a desigualdade das línguas pode nos levar a concluir uma relação com a desigualdade das raças?

Since the hypothesis of the inequality between the races as well as the one of the inequality between languages were fairly widespread in the 19th century, it is legitimate to ask how a possible relationship between the ethnic and linguistic classifications was conceived. Broca, for instance, concludes that physical data preponderate in anthropological research and he only attaches secondary importance to linguistic information. Renan, on the other hand, starts from the idea that human history has been determined to a higher extent by cultural and spiritual than by merely biological and physical factors. An analysis of the writings of Abel Hovelacque (1843 – 1896) and of the school of “naturalist” linguistics shows us that there is also a third way of addressing that problem. Indeed, Hovelacque attaches a similar importance to physical and to linguistic characteristics. He classifies linguistics as a natural science and conceives of language as a living organism.