The Speculation of the Secret: Secondary, Complementary and Apocryphal Sources of “El idioma analítico de John Wilkins” by Jorge Luis Borges

Abstract

“El idioma analítico de John Wilkins,” by Jorge Luis Borges, addresses the issue of a universal language, based on the analysis of An Essay towards a Real Character and a Philosophical Language by Wilkins. However, the essayist does not have access to the original source, so he uses others to compensate for the absence of the main one to write the essay. In total, “El idioma analítico de John Wilkins” has twenty references; this article investigates, analyzes, and comments on these sources. For this purpose, this paper begins with a personal classification of sources (secondary, complementary and apocryphal) to describe their function and show the way in which they constitute the essay. In the absence of Wilkins’ text, the essayist indicates that he will consult four books, which I call secondary sources, but later, adds a dozen complementary. Finally, apocryphal sources stand out from the rest. Despite their apparent “false” nature, they speculate on the secret order of things, unlike the secondary and complementary sources, which have an illustrative or contrasting function. This article also shows how the essayist takes examples, passages, information, and ideas from various sources, regardless of their origin or nature, as long as they are relevant to the purpose of the text.