Category Check

[Everett, Daniel]

Excellent points, Frans, as usual.

-- Dan


On Dec 17, 2012, at 10:22 AM, Plank wrote:

> 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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>