The development of the general theory of language is determined by the evolution of ideas about the relationship between the world, man and language. The material of key linguistic, philosophical and linguistic concepts from antiquity to the beginning of the 20th century shows the origins and evolution of ideas that laid the foundations of a modern understanding of the nature and essence of language. The development of problems such as object, subject, method and structure of linguistics can be traced; its place in the system of sciences; language functions; language and society; language - thinking - reality; language mark; language and speech; language system and structure; general, special and separate in the language; the nature of interlanguage differences; language development.