In order to know the meaning of the term philology, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, it should be noted that it derives from Greek, since it is the result of the sum of two lexical components of said language:
-The noun “philos”, which can be translated as “friend” or “lover”.
-The word “logos”, which is synonymous with “study” or “treaty”.
It is the scientific discipline dedicated to the analysis of a culture based on its literature and language .
Philology usually focuses on written texts , applying various techniques to achieve their reconstruction and thus interpret their original meaning. To access this meaning, it is essential to know the culture in which the text in question was created and inserted.
The texts represent cultural manifestations that develop through language . Philology allows us to study these expressions and generate knowledge about culture. This science is linked to hermeneutics (the interpretation of texts), linguistics (the study of language) and literary theory (focused on literature), among other fields of knowledge.
The origins of philology date back to Ancient Greece . At that time, thinkers sought to explain certain texts from different perspectives, contributing to their true understanding. Studies on the classics of Latin culture were also developed in the Roman Empire .
It is possible to distinguish between different philological traditions, such as classical philology ( Latin philology , Greek philology ) and modern philology . Also classify it according to the languages: English philology , German philology , Hispanic philology , etc.
Among the most frequent applications of philology are the analysis of the links between different languages , the editing of historical texts and literary comparison . It also allows texts to be reconstructed from the study of copies or manuscripts and to attribute the author and date to a work .
Among the most important philologists in all of history we can especially highlight some such as the Swiss Ferdinand de Saussure (1857 - 1913), the Spanish Antonio Tovar (1911 - 1985), the Indo-European Günter Neumann or the Frenchman Pierre Chantraine (1899 - 1974). ), among others.
At the University there is the opportunity for anyone who wishes to study philology in one of its variants. Currently, in Spain for example, there is the possibility of studying a degree in Hispanic philology, English philology, French philology, Arabic philology, classical philology...
Those who carry out these university studies in any of their variants will then have the possibility of finding work as teachers, as translators and linguistic mediators, as staff in libraries, in international institutions, as editors and proofreaders, in publishing houses, producing training manuals, as managers or coordinators in cultural institutions of different types, as editor...
Throughout history, philology has been closely linked to other different disciplines, however, we cannot deny that the ones with which it has had and has the most connection is with art and history.