History and philosophy of linguistics
Proposed to be offered next in 1996
K Allan
8 points * 3 hours per week * Second semester * Clayton
We begin by discussing the place of linguistics within the philosophy of science. We seek answers to questions such as: `What is a linguistic theory?' `How do we evaluate a linguistic description?' `What constitutes an explanation within the discipline of linguistics?' We will then turn to the history of linguistic analysis, and look at the ancient, medieval, and post-Renaissance conceptions of grammar that compose the classical tradition to which modern linguistics owes a very clear debt. We observe that throughout history there has been a philosophical school of grammar - which gave rise to modern theoretical linguistics, and a pedagogical school - giving rise to applied linguistics. Modern linguistics developed from the investigations of the neo-grammarians into the origins and interrelations of Indo-European languages, which eventually merged with a mushrooming interest in the non-Indo-European languages of Native Americans and the peoples of former European colonies in Africa and Asia. This interest was partly motivated by the fascination of exotic cultures and languages, and partly by ideas for literacy and education in indigenous languages. The development of linguistics was spurred on by the technological advances of the twentieth century that facilitated detailed study of speech.
Assessment
Class participation, class paper (1000 words): 15% * Essay (5000 words): 85%