John Benjamins Publishing Company
A question of relevance
Abstract
Data from natural languages (in contrast to, say, the results of psycholinguistic experiments) are still a major source of evidence used in linguistics, whether they are elicited through grammatical judgments, as in generative linguistics, or by collecting samples, as preferred in typology. The underlying assumption is that data are alike in their value as evidence if they occur in natural languages. The present paper questions this assumption in showing that there is a difference in the naturalness of languages because languages like German or English have originally emerged as secondarily learned written languages, that is they once were languages without native speakers. Although they are nowadays acquired as first languages, their grammars still contain inconsistent properties which partly disqualify standard languages as a source of evidence.
Abstract
Data from natural languages (in contrast to, say, the results of psycholinguistic experiments) are still a major source of evidence used in linguistics, whether they are elicited through grammatical judgments, as in generative linguistics, or by collecting samples, as preferred in typology. The underlying assumption is that data are alike in their value as evidence if they occur in natural languages. The present paper questions this assumption in showing that there is a difference in the naturalness of languages because languages like German or English have originally emerged as secondarily learned written languages, that is they once were languages without native speakers. Although they are nowadays acquired as first languages, their grammars still contain inconsistent properties which partly disqualify standard languages as a source of evidence.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- What counts as evidence in linguistics? 1
- Typological evidence and Universal Grammar 51
- Remarks on the relation between language typology and Universal Grammar 75
- Does linguistic explanation presuppose linguistic description? 81
- Remarks on description and explanation in grammar 109
- Author’s response 113
- From UG to Universals 117
- Form, meaning and speakers in the evolution of language 139
- Author’s response 143
- Why assume UG? 147
- What kind of evidence could refute the UG hypothesis? 175
- Author’s response 179
- A question of relevance 181
- The Relevance of Variation 209
- Author’s response 215
- Universals, innateness and explanation in second language acquisition 217
- ‘Internal’ versus ‘external’ universals 241
- Author’s response 245
- What counts as evidence in historical linguistics? 249
- Abstraction and performance 283
- Author’s response 287
- Index 291
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- What counts as evidence in linguistics? 1
- Typological evidence and Universal Grammar 51
- Remarks on the relation between language typology and Universal Grammar 75
- Does linguistic explanation presuppose linguistic description? 81
- Remarks on description and explanation in grammar 109
- Author’s response 113
- From UG to Universals 117
- Form, meaning and speakers in the evolution of language 139
- Author’s response 143
- Why assume UG? 147
- What kind of evidence could refute the UG hypothesis? 175
- Author’s response 179
- A question of relevance 181
- The Relevance of Variation 209
- Author’s response 215
- Universals, innateness and explanation in second language acquisition 217
- ‘Internal’ versus ‘external’ universals 241
- Author’s response 245
- What counts as evidence in historical linguistics? 249
- Abstraction and performance 283
- Author’s response 287
- Index 291
