LINGUIST List 10.1338

Sun Sep 12 1999

Qs: Historical roots of functionalism

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  • Suzie & Peter Bartsch, Qs: Historical roots of functionalism and formalism

    Message 1: Qs: Historical roots of functionalism and formalism

     Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 16:33:36 +0200
    From: Suzie & Peter Bartsch <Bartsch-Neuenhagent-online.de>
    Subject: Qs: Historical roots of functionalism and formalism


    Dear linguists,

    the controversy between functionalism and formalism is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and relevant discussions in language philosophy at the present time.

    This discussion and also the representations of either of these directions are generally realised from a synchronic point of view.

    I would be interested in a diachronic approach.

    I think of something like Chomsky's search for justification for his assumptions in "Cartesian Linguistics", to give an example on formalism. Or Dieter Janik's article "Reperes pour une histoire de la pens�e fonctionnelle au XVIIIe siecle" in "Logos semantikos: studia linguistica in honorem Eugenio Coseriu. Vol. 1. Geschichte der Sprachphilosophie.- Berlin: de Gruyter, 1981, 77-86.-", in which Janik assumes that historical roots for the functional approaches of the 20th century can be found in the philosophy of the enlightenment.

    I would be grateful for any bibliographical reference and also for own or somewhere collected reflections on historical roots of functionalism and formalism especially in language sciences and language philosophy. References related to other sciences and to general epistemological contexts are also highly welcome.

    I'll summarize.

    Best regards.

    Suzie Bartsch

    **************************************************************************** Suzie Bartsch Bartsch-Neuenhagent-online.de