grammatology

Grammatology is a term used to describe the study of writing and inscriptions, and in philosophy it refers to a specific critique of the western privileging of speech over writing. coinage and central program come from Jacques Derrida, most notably in De la grammatologie (1967). Derrida uses grammatology to propose a science of writing as a fundamental condition of meaning, arguing that writing is not merely a secondary byproduct of spoken language but a primary system of signs that underpins all signification.

In Derridean grammatology, key concerns include the critique of logocentrism (the idea that speech or a voice of presence is the ultimate origin of meaning) and phonocentrism (the privileging of sound). Writing is analyzed as a network of traces and differences that make language possible, always already carrying the marks of other signs and contexts. Concepts such as the trace, différance, and iterability are central: meaning arises through difference and deferral, and signs are repeatable in multiple contexts, undermining the notion of a stable, original utterance. The idea of the supplement is also prominent, suggesting that writing both adds to and compensates for presence.

Beyond Derrida, grammatology can refer more broadly to the study of writing systems, literacy, and textual transmission across cultures. It has influenced literary theory, anthropology, philology, and semiotics by foregrounding textuality, the construction of meaning, and the ways writing shapes thought. Criticisms center on perceived obscurity, and debates continue over the scope and interpretations of writing’s primacy in meaning.