On nonobjects of syntactic study

Tom Givon tgivon at OREGON.UOREGON.EDU
Thu Jul 12 03:35:30 UTC 2001


"Perfect biological system" uncontaminated by any other lever, such as
biology, cognition, neurology, culture, communication? Sounds like a
perfect dream for a philosopher. But alas, science has always been
heavily contaminated by 'other levels' (even physics is, once you off
the Newtonian level in either a macro or micro direction...). So we'll
just have to put up with the impurities. TG
===========================

Dan Everett wrote:
>
> I think that is right. If the model depends on the purity of the data  -
> free from contamination by other levels or other domains, e.g. Universal
> Grammar as a 'perfect biological system', then it is going to be subject to
> the complaints of pragmatism that it is using the wrong metaphors to tell
> its story by. Looking 'deeper and deeper' rather than 'wider and thicker',
> to paraphrase Rorty a bit.
>
> Dan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Marc Girod" <girod at STYBBA.NTC.NOKIA.COM>
> To: <FUNKNET at listserv.rice.edu>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2001 1:03 AM
> Subject: Re: On nonobjects of syntactic study
>
> > >>>>> "Dan" == Dan Everett <Dan.Everett at MAN.AC.UK> writes:
> >
> > Dan> The basic thesis is that in a Chomskyan/Cartesian linguistics
> > Dan> there is in principle no object of study.
> >
> > Do you mean by "Chomskyan/Cartesian linguistics" linguistics built
> > upon a layered model of language? With one-way dependencies from upper
> > layers to lower ones?
> >
> > I find this kind of a model in Carnap's "Introduction to Semantics",
> > which I am currently trying to read, following a quote from Karl
> > Popper.
> >
> > Anyway, I believe then (with Dan Parvaz, as I understand), that the
> > problem is then not specific to linguistics, but bound to inherent
> > limitations of layered models.
> >
> > I.e. if one wants to exclude from the lower layers (syntax, and
> > semantics meta-language) everything which depends on the upper ones
> > (semantics, pragmatics), there isn't anything left.
> >
> > [Popper also mentioned an other layered model for the functions of
> > language: expressive/ stimulative/ descriptive/ argumentative -- but
> > this is in an orthogonal dimension]
> >
> > --
> > Marc Girod        P.O. Box 310        Voice:  +358-71 80 25581
> > Nokia IM          00045 NOKIA Group   Mobile: +358-50 38 78415
> > UPS1 2/4          Finland             Fax:    +358-71 80 22227



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