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    Dear Jürgen,<br>
    <br>
    to mitigate a bit your pessimist opinion of the methodological
    situation of our discipline, let me mention, as a contribution to
    the discussion you are requiring, my web page<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.christianlehmann.eu/ling/ling_meth/ling_description/representations/?open=example.inc">https://www.christianlehmann.eu/ling/ling_meth/ling_description/representations/?open=example.inc</a><br>
    which advocates a distinction between <br>
    <ol>
      <li>a probatory example (which is data used as scientific
        evidence)</li>
      <li>and an illustrative example (or pedagogical example, which is
        only meant to render a descriptive statement more concrete and,
        thus, to help understanding).</li>
    </ol>
    Methodological standards for these two kinds of examples are
    completely different. On #1, I may recommend:<br>
    <br>
    <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249931781_Data_in_linguistics">Lehmann,
      Christian 2004, “Data in linguistics.” <i>The Linguistic Review</i>
      21(3/4):275-310.</a><br>
    <br>
    Best,<br>
    Christian<br>
    <div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
      <p style="font-size:90%">Prof. em. Dr. Christian Lehmann<br>
        Rudolfstr. 4<br>
        99092 Erfurt<br>
        <span style="font-variant:small-caps">Deutschland</span></p>
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            <td>Tel.:</td>
            <td>+49/361/2113417</td>
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            <td>E-Post:</td>
            <td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:christianw_lehmann@arcor.de">christianw_lehmann@arcor.de</a></td>
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            <td>Web:</td>
            <td><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.christianlehmann.eu">https://www.christianlehmann.eu</a></td>
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