Chris Kast
Of Grammatology
Jacques Derrida
Derrida’s why-question: Why is the form and grammar of language assumed to be natural?
Derrida’s motivational mechanism: Acceptance of current grammar as natural limits decision and restricts thought to within
boundaries dictated by institutions. Recognizing this removes all limitations on thought.
Derrida contributes certain significant concepts to the academic dialogue:
 Spacing: The contribution of new graphemes, fundamental units in written language, to a chosen language.
 Trace: Perceives the link between concept and referent as a process where the connection is marked removing the distinction
between the two.
 Arch-Trace: An unmarked Trace where someone decides whether or not to connect concept and referent and undergo the Trace
process.
Derrida supplies a process that is either open to the introduction of novel rules or restricted to only those that have been judged to be
allowable.
New Referent
Institutional Trace:
Supplied grammar for
allowable connections
 Spacing
o Adds a new
grapheme to
represent novel
thought
Concept is related in a traditional way to the
referent.
Arch Trace:
Decision to connect
new referent to new
grapheme.
Trace:
Concept and referent
are marked and the
Trace is erased.