Schools of linguistics

Question 1

What linguistic approach is there that focuses on lg as an expression of culture and history?

What technique is used?

Answer 1

Comparative philology

• Jacob Grimm: Dt. Grammatik (19th c)

Important terms:

• etymology (study of history of words)
• Sound law (law describing historic sound changes)
• Reconstruction
• Relation between lgs

Technique:
–> Comparative studies

Question 2

What linguistic approach is there which focuses on language as a system with internal structure, language as a social fact?

Who is known to belong to that school? What technique is used?

Answer 2

Structural Linguistics

Ferdinand De Saussure (1858-1913)

Technique:

• segmentation
• commutation
• classification

–> Lg as a network of relationships, collective notion of language. Meaning as social rather than psychological fact. Low emphasis on syntax and syntagmatic relations.

Question 3

Which linguistic school considers language a creative competence, a network of rules and transformations?

Who is mostly connected to this approach to linguistics?

Answer 3

Formal Linguistics.

Noam Chomsky “linguistic revolution”

• -> Generative Grammar
• creativity
• competence vs. performance
• ideal speaker-listener
• generating rules
• deep structure vs. surface structure

Technique:
- self-observation, test for grammaticality of sentences

–> emphasis on syntax, concept of syntactic universals
theory of transformational generative grammar

Also: generative phonology
Optimality Theory (universal generating rles with specific constraints, emphasis on universals in phonology)

Question 4

Which school focuses on language as a means of communication?

Answer 4

The Prague School
(Roman Jakobson)
- emphasis on phonology, lg in ters of function

The London School
(Michael Halliday)
ystemic theory
semantics very marginal, more attention to discourse and pragmatics
ideational, interpersonal and textual grammar

Functional discourse grammar
- 3 types of functions semantic, syntactic, pragmatic
–> Grammar as expression of communicative needs
data and description of many languages

Question 5

Which linguistic approach focuses on language and the mind?

Answer 5

Cognitive linguistics

–> Croft, William and D Alan Cruse

three assumptions

1. no independent language faculty in the mind
2. grammar is conceptualisation
3. language knowledge arises out of language use

emphasis on semantics, categorisation
metaphors and metonymies, conceptual blending
back to psychological and cultural interests

Question 6

What are the major branches and interests in linguistics?

Answer 6

Phonolgy, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics
Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis

Linguistics of variation (geo and social)
Psycholing. (lg & mind, neural processing; lg and acquisition and loss, lg retrieval)
Applied Ling. (acquisition, learning, teaching, bilingualism)
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Question 7

What are the main approaches to Linguistics? Which schools are there?

Answer 7

• Comparative
• Structural
• Formal
• Functional
• Cognitive

Question 8

What are some of the most important dichotomies when studying a language/languages?

Answer 8

synchrony - diachrony

descriptive - prescriptive (neutral description or ‚normative’ rules?)

form - function; lg system - lg use

lg-specific - comparative

applied - non-applied

empirical - introspective