In order to grasp the relevance of Heidegger's discourse on language, it is necessary to examine the usage which he makes of etymological analyses in their specificity and repercussion. The lecture on Das Ding, in Vortràge und Aufsàtze, offers a fine example of etymological and lexical derivations which Heidegger at once legitimises and articulates in a meditation on language: the question «What is a thing?» is replaced by another: «What do we say when we say 'thing'?». When reading these derivations particularly in the light of Unterwegs zur Sprache, the word appears in its central position according to a dual-directional movement: resulting, on the one hand through the Wörter, i. e. terms utilised in their communicative function, and fou...