Modern linguistics and the quest for a scientific model

Abstract EN

This paper concerns the impact of the more developed sciences on linguistic theorizing.

For many centuries, the study of language remained in the orbit of philosophy, and it was not until other disciplines, most notably the physical sciences, had reached a relatively advanced stage that linguistics, as the science of language, began to affiliate itself with the growing ‘scientific club’.

Seeking membership of this club was certainly not an easy task, and enormous efforts have subsequently been made by eminent scholars, embarking from different points to achieve what might be called the ‘scientisation of the study of language’.

Focusing on the work of three well-known authors in modern linguistics, the paper purports to assess their attempt at bridging the gap between linguistics and the more developed sciences.

It argues that Saussure, Bloomfield, and Chomsky share the same desire of implementing an axiomatic-deductive approach to the study of language, and that such a desire is problematic due to the very nature of the object of inquiry, namely, language.

Next, the paper turns its focus on more recent attempts to elevate Chomskyan linguistics to the status of theoretical physics.

By outlining some of the key differences between linguistic theory and physical theory, the paper draws attention to the danger of promoting Chomskyan linguistics as a mature natural science.