12 Questions
What was the primary focus of the Greek philosophers when it came to language?
The analysis of written language
Who is credited with distinguishing between nouns and verbs?
Plato
What is the core concept of language according to Ferdinand de Saussure?
The difference between units that make up the language system
Who discovered the categories of pronouns, adverbs, and prepositions?
Dionysius
What is the analogy used by Ferdinand de Saussure to describe language?
A game of chess
What was the focus of the traditional school of linguistics?
The analysis of language patterns and structures
What is the main criterion for the arrangement of chess pieces?
Conformity to the rules of the game
What is the relationship between langue and parole according to Saussure?
Langue is the tacit knowledge of language, while parole is the actual use of those stored rules
What is the key difference between the approach of a behaviorist psychologist and a structuralist linguist?
The psychologist observes human behavior to understand mental states, while the linguist observes language to understand its principles
What do the words of a language have in common with the pieces of a chess game?
Both relate to each other independently
What does the concept of langue refer to in Saussure's theory?
The tacit knowledge of language stored in the brain
What is the focus of a structuralist linguist?
The discovery and explanation of the principles of language
Study Notes
Traditional School of Linguistics
- Traditional linguistics originated from Greek philosophers, who focused on written language and considered grammar a branch of philosophy.
- They recognized language patterns and attempted to systematize them.
- Key topics of interest included the origin of language, logic, rhetoric, and etymology.
- The Greek philosophers discovered the "parts of speech", with Plato distinguishing between nouns and verbs, and Aristotle identifying conjunctions.
- Aristotle also argued for the existence of tense in the Greek verb.
- Dionysius later discovered categories like pronouns, adverbs, and prepositions.
Modern Schools of Linguistics
- Ferdinand de Saussure and Bloomfield were leading figures of this school.
- De Saussure believed language is based on the differences between units that make up the language system.
- He considered language as a structure that can be studied independently of human behavior.
- Saussure compared language to a chess game, with words having different meanings that relate to each other independently.
- He characterized language by dividing it into "langue" (tacit knowledge of language) and "parole" (the actual use of language rules).
Structuralist Linguistics and Behaviorism
- Structuralist linguistics was influenced by psychological behaviorism.
- Behaviorists believed that data can be observed in human behavior.
- Structuralist linguists saw language data as part of human behavior.
- By observing and understanding human behavior, linguists can discover and explain the principles of language.
Explore the roots of traditional linguistics, tracing back to Greek philosophers who focused on written language and grammar as a branch of philosophy.
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