Chapter 4. Methods and argumentation in historical linguistics
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Katalin Nagy C.
Abstract
The present chapter aims to discuss some properties of historical linguistics argumentation, through the analysis of examples taken from actual research practice. Relying on Kertész and Rákosi’s (2012) p-model of scientific theorizing, it compares three competing accounts of the historical development of the Catalan construction “anar ‘go’ + infinitive”, namely, those provided in Colon (1979a, b), in Detges (2004) and in Juge (2006). The simultaneous plausibility of some statements and their negations in the starting p-context formed by these three approaches leads to a p-inconsistency, which is eliminated by the extension of the starting p-context and, then, the coordination of the extended p-context. The analysis of historical research practice from a methodological point of view suggests that the development of the Catalan “anar ‘go’ + infinitive” construction finds the most satisfactory explanation under Juge’s (2006) proposal, which uses sources, research methods and argumentation techniques traditionally accepted in historical linguistics.
Abstract
The present chapter aims to discuss some properties of historical linguistics argumentation, through the analysis of examples taken from actual research practice. Relying on Kertész and Rákosi’s (2012) p-model of scientific theorizing, it compares three competing accounts of the historical development of the Catalan construction “anar ‘go’ + infinitive”, namely, those provided in Colon (1979a, b), in Detges (2004) and in Juge (2006). The simultaneous plausibility of some statements and their negations in the starting p-context formed by these three approaches leads to a p-inconsistency, which is eliminated by the extension of the starting p-context and, then, the coordination of the extended p-context. The analysis of historical research practice from a methodological point of view suggests that the development of the Catalan “anar ‘go’ + infinitive” construction finds the most satisfactory explanation under Juge’s (2006) proposal, which uses sources, research methods and argumentation techniques traditionally accepted in historical linguistics.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. Introduction 1
-
Part I: The methodological framework
- Chapter 2. The p-model of data and evidence in linguistics 15
-
Part II: Object-theoretical applications
- Chapter 3. The plausibility of approaches to syntactic alternation of Hungarian verbs 51
- Chapter 4. Methods and argumentation in historical linguistics 71
- Chapter 5. Hungarian verbs of natural phenomena with explicit and implicit subject arguments 103
- Chapter 6. The development of a taxonomy of verbal disagreements in the light of the p-model 133
- Chapter 7. A case of disagreement 179
- Chapter 8. A plausibility-based model of shifted indexicals 199
-
Part III: Metatheoretical applications
- Chapter 9. Thought experiments and real experiments as converging data sources in pragmatics 221
- Chapter 10. Data and the resolution of inconsistency in Optimality Theory 271
- Chapter 11. Conclusions 309
- Author index 315
- Subject index 317
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. Introduction 1
-
Part I: The methodological framework
- Chapter 2. The p-model of data and evidence in linguistics 15
-
Part II: Object-theoretical applications
- Chapter 3. The plausibility of approaches to syntactic alternation of Hungarian verbs 51
- Chapter 4. Methods and argumentation in historical linguistics 71
- Chapter 5. Hungarian verbs of natural phenomena with explicit and implicit subject arguments 103
- Chapter 6. The development of a taxonomy of verbal disagreements in the light of the p-model 133
- Chapter 7. A case of disagreement 179
- Chapter 8. A plausibility-based model of shifted indexicals 199
-
Part III: Metatheoretical applications
- Chapter 9. Thought experiments and real experiments as converging data sources in pragmatics 221
- Chapter 10. Data and the resolution of inconsistency in Optimality Theory 271
- Chapter 11. Conclusions 309
- Author index 315
- Subject index 317
