Category Check

[Plank]

This is why we wrote "we expect an awareness of this issue", rather than "we offer this new rubric as a battleground for the warring factions".   Other pages of LT continue to be at their service.

Frans



On Dec 17, 2012, at 3:56 PM, "Everett, Daniel" <DEVERETT at BENTLEY.EDU> wrote:

> Yes, of course it could be questioned. Linguists are extremely divided on this topic. It is influenced by a priori theoretical and other types of commitments.
> 
> You might also compare: Language: The Cultural Tool, Vintage Press (US) Profile Books (UK).
> 
> -- Dan
> 
> On Dec 17, 2012, at 9:53 AM, Paolo Ramat wrote:
> 
>> Martin's point of view could be questioned. As you may know, there are 
>> linguists who have a different approach (see Ramat,  Linguistic categories 
>> and linguists’ categorizations. “Linguistics” 37/1999: 157-80;   Once more 
>> on linguistic categories. In:  J. Helmbrecht et al. (eds.), Form and 
>> function in language research. Papers in honour of Christian Lehmann. Mouton 
>> de Gruyter,  Berlin / New York, 2009: 151-156).
>> 
>> Anyhow, enjoy the Xmas holidays!
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>> Prof.Paolo Ramat
>> Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori (IUSS )
>> Direttore del Centro "Lingue d'Europa: tipologia, storia e sociolinguistica" 
>> (LETiSS)
>> Palazzo del Broletto - Piazza della Vittoria
>> 
>> 27100 Pavia
>> tel. ++390382375811
>> fax ++390382375899
>> 
>> -----Messaggio originale----- 
>> From: Everett, Daniel
>> Sent: Monday, December 17, 2012 3:07 PM
>> To: LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
>> Subject: Re: LT: Category Check
>> 
>> Hear, hear, Martin.
>> 
>> On Dec 17, 2012, at 8:24 AM, Martin Haspelmath wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> …
>> 
>>> But I think one should be careful to avoid the impression that the 
>>> grammatical terms we use are anything other than convenient tools used by 
>>> linguists. Categories of languages are language-specific entities, and 
>>> they cannot be "polysemous" or "homonymous".
>>> 
>>> Greetings,
>>> Martin
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> 
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