Alternatives to Chomsky. A word to the initial Author

[Sylvester OSU]

Dear Bruce Richman,

It's high time everyone realised that "killing" a man does not in any way "kill" his ideas. What does that really mean? Throwing Chomskyan method away? And what next? Alternatives to Chomsky. No. No. No. Chomsky has never been proclaimed the god of linguistic science, so why take him to be one. I thought we were doing some kind of objective work on languages. The truth is that Chomsky has made his contribution towards understanding the Human Language. If today we find a means of going somewhat further, then that's good. We push on. But we can't come back to square one everday 30 or 40 years and do as if nothing ever happened. Besides, I don't see anyway we can continue without making reference to his works (negatively or positively). So please, take it easy.
Secondly, I'll like to remind you that other people have been working using other methods and proposing other frameworks. I refuse to believe that you are not aware of that anyway. Otherwise, why talk of proposing Alternatives to Chomsky? Or is it a provocative method of attracting people to your conference? Once again, Chomsky's method as far as I am concerned is just one among many others. Take for instance in Europe, many people have come out to propose some nice approaches to the study of Language and languages. Permit me here to simply name Antoine Culioli, a French linguist, and his research team, with their fantastic theory of predicative and enunciative operations. I bet you, it's something you should know about before going deeper in your conception of linguistic studies. Apart from Culiolian approach, you have Oswald Ducrot, you have Gustave Guillaume, Gross, Hagège, all French, who have proposed some different approaches. Think about it.
Well, I just wish that over there, you don't think that the world outside is at a standstill. Try and get in touch, and you'll see that things are moving and that one approach has never and will never offer all the answers to all the problems that the study of Language raises.
Should you need references from the Linguists I just mentioned, I'll be glad to submit them to you as quickly as possible.
Wishing you well.

Sylvester OSU.
(France)

ps: I'll like you to know that I'm not a Chomskyan and that I have only taken courses and read his works as any average linguist would do. Even, my mastery of his theories is just below what's expected of a contemporary linguist.

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