Unit 13 Unit 14 Conceptual Studies of English

Major contents The experience of language … is intricately complex. The purpose of linguistics is to provide some explanation of this complexity by abstracting from it what seems to be of essential significance. -- Henry Widdowson 14.1 Preliminaries of conceptual research 14.2 Defining terms 14.3 Classifying objects 14.4 Formulating rules 14.5 Constructing models

14.1 Preliminaries of conceptual research The ultimate purpose of conceptual research is to promote our understanding of the object of study either by describing its features as neatly or fully as possible or by uncovering the working or generating mechanism underlying the language phenomenon.

14.2 Defining terms After we have decided on a language phenomenon as the object of study, we need to define it in strict terms. To quote from Collins Cobuild, if we define something, we show, describe, or state clearly what it is and what its limits are, or what it is like.

When defining a term for a language phenomenon or a theoretical concept, we may take a form-based perspective, specifically what phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic or other features are characteristic of it,

14.3 Classifying objects Classifying things works on the principle of similarity. When we put two things into in the same class, we do so by identifying features they have in common and ignoring features that distinguish them. For example, when we put such illocutionary acts as requests, orders, advising, and threatening under the category of directives (see Chapter 8), we do so because all of these acts are causative in a sense (that is, one causes another to do sth.).

14.4 Formulating rules In the study of English, we can work out many kinds of rules. To begin with, we may distinguish between rules of structuring and rules of use.

For a given language phenomenon, we must not posit redundant rules. That is, if two statements converge or overlap with each other, refinement of one and abandonment of the other need to take place. Also, when we state the rules for it, we must abide by the principles of economy and clarity; given two rules that account for a given body of data, the briefer one is to be preferred.

14.5 Constructing models “Model” in this context refers loosely to any pattern pertaining to a body of apparently messy linguistic facts and an explanatory framework that serves to capture the generating mechanism of some linguistic facts or provides an account of the motivation behind certain linguistic facts.

A further purpose for constructing a model is to seek functional explanations for why a certain pattern exists and why a certain constraint works on some linguistic facts. For that purpose, we need to exercise our cause-effect reasoning, by taking into account cognitive, biological, and socio-cultural processes.

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