Session-1
Language and
Philosophy
Philosophy of Language
• Philosophy
1.the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and
existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.
2.a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour.
(Oxford Dictionary)
• Language
• 1. the principal method of human communication, consisting of words used in
a structured and conventional way and conveyed by speech, writing, or
gesture.
• 2. a system of communication used by a particular country or community.
Philosophy of Language
• the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge of language
• the study of the fundamental nature of reality of language
• the study of the fundamental nature of existence of language
Functionalism
• Functionalism focuses on how language is actually used in everyday life.
• (The prime function of language is the means of communication.)
• Functionalists look at language as just a tool for humans to use (and
thus tend to focus on the function language and its different parts have
in our lives).
• The theories of functionalism focus on phonological, semantic,
syntactic, as well as pragmatic functions of language.
• Functionalism emphasizes the importance of social context, usage, and
the communicative function of the grammar, phonology, orthography,
and more, of a language.
Historicism
• Historicism in linguistics describes the process of researching and
understanding the derivation and the evolution of language.
• Historicism in linguistics is the study of phonological, grammatical, and
semantic changes, as well as the reconstruction of earlier stages of languages.
• Historical linguistics is concerned with language change.
• Historical linguists are interested in what kinds of changes
occur (and why), and, what kind of changes do not occur (and
why not).
• Languages change in all aspects: grammar, phonetic,
phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic.
• Diachronic analysis is the main concern of historical linguistics.
Structuralism
(Based on the work of Ferdinand de Saussure of Switzerland)
• Structuralism focuses on the idea that languages are fixed systems made up
of many different units that connect with each other.
• (fixed systems—with their own underlying laws)
• Structuralism marks a shift from historical linguistic analysis to non-historical
analysis.
• Structuralism focuses on both phonology and morphology.
• Structuralism views language as a self-contained, self-regulating semiotic
system whose elements are defined by their relationship to other elements
within the system
• (Saussure (1857–1913) was aware of the fact that he would not be able to get a
good understanding of the human brain, and so left that to future linguists.)
Generativism
• Generativism approach (arisen from Noam Chomsky) to linguistics
was originally a way to explain how humans acquire language in the
first place, but soon it came to be used to explain the different
phenomena that occur in all natural languages.
• The generative theory of language suggests that language is made up
of certain rules that apply to all humans and all languages. This notion
led to the theory of “universal grammar”, that all humans are capable
of learning grammar.
Cognitivism
• Cognitivism is believed to be born as a reaction to generativism.
• Cognitivism says that language emerges from human cognitive
processes.
• Cognitivism challenges “universal grammar” by suggesting that
grammar is not something that all humans can inherently understand,
but rather it is learned by using language.
• Cognitivism, in this sense, is a bit similar to functionalism. However,
the main focus of cognitivism is how language is based on meaning
that the mind creates.
Descriptivism
• Descriptivism and prescriptivism are two approaches to language usage and
grammar—
• Descriptivists focus on how language is actually used.
• Prescriptivists focus on how language should be used according to a set of rules or
standards.
• Linguistic descriptivism refers to the analysis of how language is used by its
speakers/ writers.
• Linguistic descriptivism is a non-judgmental approach to analysing language usage.
• Descriptivism consists of describing the facts.
• Descriptive linguistics focuses on describing the rules of the language.
• Descriptivism is more concerned with analysing and recording how language is
used, and what this can reveal about its users.
Why is a theory needed while
doing/conducting Research
• Theory provides explanation, understanding and meaningfulness to research.
• Theory helps predict facts and identify unexplored areas/research areas.
• Theory helps to make research more emphatic by establishing the relationship among attributes,
variables or data.
• Theory provides concepts to name what we observe and to explain relationships between concepts.
• Theory allows us to explain what we see and to figure out how to bring about change
• Theory is a tool that enables us to identify a problem and to plan a means for altering the situation.
• Theory of method (or methodology) provides guidance to make sense of what methods will actually
help answer the research questions.
• The importance of theories in research lies in their ability to provide a formal logical explanation of
events, predict relationships, guide research questions, determine data collection methods, aid in
data interpretation, and explain phenomena of interest .
• Theories guide and give meaning to what we see. When a researcher investigates and collects
information through observation, the investigator needs a clear idea of what information is important
to collect. Thus, valid theories are validated by research and are a sound basis for practical action.
• Theories are formulated to explain, predict, and understand phenomena and, in many cases, to
challenge and extend existing knowledge, within the limits of the critical bounding assumptions.
• Sources:
http://journal.iujharkhand.edu.in/june-2022/6-Role-of-Theory-In-Researc
h.html#:~:text=Theory%20plays%20a%20vital%20role,among%20attri
butes%2C%20variables%20or%20data
.
• https://faculty.jou.ufl.edu/mleslie/spring96/theory.html#:~:text=1.,means%20for%20alte
ring%20the%20situation
.
• https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1609406918797475#:~:text=Theory%20of%2
0method%20(or%20methodology,together%20in%20a%20particular%20study
.
• https://typeset.io/questions/why-theory-is-important-to-a-research-39xzou1zud#:~:text
=The%20importance%20of%20theories%20in,and%20explain%20phenomena%20of%20i
nterest%20
.
• https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED491769#:~:text=Theories%20are%20vital%3A%20They%20gui
