Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

On the legitimation of metapragmatics: A case study in the epistemology of linguistics

On the legitimation of metapragmatics: A case study in the epistemology of linguistics Introduction* Though the last two decades have seen a growing interest in the epistemological aspects of linguistic inquiry, research in this field has not contributed significantly to our understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge about natural language. Part of the reason why current debates seem to have resulted in an unresolvable conflict of opinions is the incompatibility of the metatheoretician's image of science with the everyday practice of the working linguist.1 Consequently, most of what has been done in linguistics so far is to be labelled as illegitimate in the view of the proponents of the traditional theory of science. Instead of raising this problem on an abstract epistemological level, the present paper will focus on a case study which is expected to show how the problem of metascientific legitimation presents itself with respect to a particular approach in pragmatics, and what kind of argumentation is needed for its solution. Let me begin to elaborate on the topic by first relativizing the problem to the approach to be analyzed. The clash between traditional metascience, to be identified with the Analytical Theory of Science,2 and linguistic practice is revealingly exemplified by Jef Verschueren's research program, called metapragmatics or, http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Semiotica - Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies / Revue de l'Association Internationale de Sémiotique de Gruyter

Loading next page...
 
/lp/de-gruyter/on-the-legitimation-of-metapragmatics-a-case-study-in-the-epistemology-kwaS8o57Xp

References (9)

Publisher
de Gruyter
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Walter de Gruyter
ISSN
0037-1998
eISSN
1613-3692
DOI
10.1515/semi.1993.95.1-2.45
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Introduction* Though the last two decades have seen a growing interest in the epistemological aspects of linguistic inquiry, research in this field has not contributed significantly to our understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge about natural language. Part of the reason why current debates seem to have resulted in an unresolvable conflict of opinions is the incompatibility of the metatheoretician's image of science with the everyday practice of the working linguist.1 Consequently, most of what has been done in linguistics so far is to be labelled as illegitimate in the view of the proponents of the traditional theory of science. Instead of raising this problem on an abstract epistemological level, the present paper will focus on a case study which is expected to show how the problem of metascientific legitimation presents itself with respect to a particular approach in pragmatics, and what kind of argumentation is needed for its solution. Let me begin to elaborate on the topic by first relativizing the problem to the approach to be analyzed. The clash between traditional metascience, to be identified with the Analytical Theory of Science,2 and linguistic practice is revealingly exemplified by Jef Verschueren's research program, called metapragmatics or,

Journal

Semiotica - Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies / Revue de l'Association Internationale de Sémiotiquede Gruyter

Published: Jan 1, 1993

There are no references for this article.