This article proposes to return to the “birth” of Corsican sociolinguistics and the main notions that fuelled the emergence of Corsican as “language”. The reflection goes back to the development of the 1970s and 1980s in order to better understand the context of the time and the reasons that allowed such a birth. It will also highlight the contribution of the main figures of this period and the constant relationship with Corsican sociolinguists. Two important figures emerge from this dialogue, notably Heinz Kloss and Jean-Baptiste Marcellesi whose theories have been taken up and crossed to characterize the evolution of the Corsican situation. Thus, discussed here are, in particular, the concepts of elaboration, distancing and polynomie.