Abstract: As a key piece of writing of Theodor W. Adorno's early theory on philosophy of language, Theses on the Language of the Philosopher has lacked scholarly attention for a prolonged period of time. In recent years, Western scholars realize that the philosophy of language in classic critical theory affords potential ideological resources to reflect on the linguistic turn.The new generation of German scholars in critical theory also propose a "language paradigm", which promotes the revival of Adorno's philosophy of language. Adorno's historical contribution to the philosophy of language is based on his creative extension of Walter Benjamin's theology/philosophy of language into the realm of social criticism. With social criticism as the methodological core of linguistic criticism, Adorno emphasizes the confluence of art and cognition, establishing an orientation of aestheticism through "the aesthetic dignity of words" in his philosophy of language.This linguistic aestheticism is a good perspective to understand the chronical development of Adorno's thought.

Key words: Theodor W. Adorno, Walter Benjamin, critical theory, the philosophy of language, aestheticism