LECTURE 3

Question 1

What was the significance of grammar during the Middle Ages?

Answer 1

• Grammar held a foundational role in medieval scholarship as one of the seven liberal arts.
• Scholarly focus shifted in the late Middle Ages from descriptive to explanatory approaches in linguistics, particularly prominent in Paris.

Question 2

What inquiries intrigued scholars during the Middle Ages?

Answer 2

• Scholars pondered linguistic universals, questioning whether
  1. all languages shared a common basic structure
  or
  2. fundamentally differed, impacting their speakers’ perception of the world.
• These queries, emerging in the Middle Ages, evolved in later centuries.

Question 3

How did the Renaissance influence linguistic studies?

Answer 3

• During the Renaissance, contact with various languages prompted a reassessment of linguistic knowledge.
• While European linguistics had centered on Greek and Latin,
• the Renaissance saw the widespread study of Hebrew, Arabic, and vernacular languages, prompting reflections on language change and interconnections.

Question 4

What intellectual movements shaped linguistic thought in the Renaissance?

Answer 4

• Renaissance linguistics reflected two predominant mindsets: empiricism (British) and rationalism (French).
  1. Empiricists believed language stemmed from sensory experiences,
  2. rationalists considered language partly derived from innate human concepts,
• leading to debates about linguistic universals.

Question 5

What characterized linguistic study from ancient times to the 18th century?

Answer 5

• Linguistic study initially centered on Greek and Latin but expanded due to contact with other languages (Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, American Indian languages).
• It also embraced vernacular languages, marking an evolution in linguistic understanding.

Question 6

How did the 19th century contribute to linguistic study?

Answer 6

• The 19th century heralded the rise of Comparative and Historical Linguistics.
• Earlier in the 18th century, thinkers like Rousseau and Condillac speculated on the origins of language,
• exploring
  1. deictic
  2. imitative gestures
  3. natural cries
  4. development of vocabulary complexity leading to grammar.