At this point the main features of my interpretation have been developed. In the next two chapters I will illustrate this interpretation by a discussion of two topics which have been prominent in recent discussion of Hegel's theoretical philosophy – the role of language for the system and the beginning of the Science of Logic. I intend to support the line which my interpretation has followed by showing that it provides a more convincing account of these questions than its main rivals.

Although it is true to say that Hegel gives comparatively little explicit attention to the problem of language, this does not mean that the question is unimportant for him. Two points should be emphasized; the first is that, if language is given little treatment within the system, this does not preclude it from playing a vital role for the system itself. We should not mistake the place accorded to a topic within the encyclopedic system of Science for the role which it plays for that system. The second point is that we should realize that what counts as a philosophical treatment of language is not fixed. Certainly, Hegel is not particularly interested in the diversity of grammars and vocabularies, the topics dealt with at length by Wilhelm von Humboldt. But this is not simply an omission; there is positive significance behind their neglect.