The article deals with comparative analysis of the views of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Martin Heidegger in the definition of the role of silence in the ontological structure of language. Despite the fact that Wittgenstein and Heidegger are representatives of two opposed traditions of philosophizing - analytical and existential-hermeneutic, there are many similar features in the analysis of linguistic thinking in their reasoning. The study shows that Wittgenstein and Heidegger were unanimous in their belief that thought can fully express itself only through speaking and silence. While Wittgenstein considers silence as a way to avoid nonsense when one tries to say something that cannot be clearly expressed in language, Heidegger defines silence as a “source of speech” since language is based on silence. When language is not able to express a thought, silence comes to replace it. Consequently, silence as well as language is a way of expressing thought. The authors reveal not only similarities but also significant differences in the approaches of Wittgenstein and Heidegger in their understanding and interpreting the concepts of “language” and “silence”.
