Overview

What counts as evidence in linguistics? This question is addressed by the contributions to the present volume (originally published as a Special Issue of Studies in Language 28:3 (2004). Focusing on the innateness debate, what is illustrated is how formal and functional approaches to linguistics have different perspectives on linguistic evidence. While special emphasis is paid to the status of typological evidence and universals for the construction of Universal Grammar (UG), this volume also highlights more general issues such as the roles of (non)-standard language and historical evidence. To address the overall topic, the following three guiding questions are raised: What type of evidence can be used for innateness claims (or UG)?; What is the content of such innate features (or UG)?; and, How can UG be used as a theory guiding empirical research? A combination of articles and peer commentaries yields a lively discussion between leading representatives of formal and functional approaches.

Full Product Details

9789027222374

Table of Contents

Reviews

This volume is a coherent collection of articles on the question of linguistic evidence in linguistics. The editors found balance in the range of topics, and the volume constitutes a varied collection of contributions, commentaries and responses. This structure caters particularly well for audiences who are informed in linguistics but do not necessarily have specialist knowledge of some of the issues discussed. Moreover, the mix of opinions enables the reader to spot controversial issues in the debate and clearly distinguish the writers' approaches. For this reason, the volume is highly recommended to everyone, but in particular to graduate and doctoral students. -- Mikko Laittinen, University of Helsinki, in Folia Linguistica 42(2): 471-478

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available