The Written Language Bias in Linguistics: Its Nature, Origins and Transformations (Routledge Advances in Communication and Linguistic Theory)

Linguists routinely emphasise the primacy of speech over writing. Yet, most linguists have analysed spoken language, as well as language in general, applying theories and methods that are best suited for written language. Accordingly, there is an extensive 'written language bias' in traditional and present day linguistics and other language sciences. In this book, this point is argued with rich and convincing evidence from virtually all fields of linguistics. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 10 Part I Preliminaries......Page 12 1.1 Two ways of looking at language......Page 13 1.2 An overview of this book......Page 15 1.3 What I won’t do in this book......Page 16 2.1 Objectification: splitting the phenomena and inverting the priorities......Page 18 2.2 Why a set of forms?......Page 20 2.3 The cultural stereotype: talk is not ‘real language’......Page 21 2.4 From practical activities to theorising language......Page 23 3.1 Speech and spoken language: a first approximation......Page 28 3.1.3......Page 29 3.1.4......Page 30 3.2 Writing and written language: a first approximation......Page 31 3.2.3......Page 32 3.2.4......Page 33 3.3.1 Genres of writing and reading......Page 34 3.3.3 On the origin of writing......Page 35 3.3.4 New developments: computer-mediated communication......Page 37 3.4.1 The primacy of speech over writing......Page 38 3.5 Summary: towards the main thesis......Page 39 4.1 Introduction: a paradox in modern linguistics......Page 40 4.2 The ‘myth theory’......Page 41 4.3 Written language as medium and model for spoken language......Page 42 4.4 The written language bias: defining the notion......Page 44 4.5 Is the bias a characteristic of linguistics?......Page 46 Part II The phenomenon and its extension......Page 47 5.1 Introduction......Page 48 # 1 Language and the world are distinct, and languages represent the world......Page 49 # 2 The objectification of language: languages as inventories of objects......Page 51 # 3 The world as linguistically constructed......Page 52 # 5 Discourse as the use of language, and the product-orientation of discourse theory......Page 54 # 6 Linguistics and applied linguistics......Page 55 # 7 The unity and homogeneity of each language......Page 56 # 8 Dialects are not languages......Page 57 # 10 A language as a system of maximally general rules......Page 58 # 11 The form vs. meaning dichotomy......Page 59 # 13 Language as words and grammar, and the sharp distinction between lexis and grammar......Page 60 # 15 The abstractness and disembodiedness of language......Page 62 # 16 The atemporality of linguistic items......Page 63 # 18 The absence of situated order......Page 64 # 20 Errors and inadequacies in language use......Page 65 # 21 Language and speech, and the notion of pronunciation......Page 67 # 22 Phonology as separate from phonetics: stability and dynamics......Page 68 # 23 Phonemes as segments......Page 69 # 24 The neglect of prosodies, musical dimensions and paralanguage......Page 71 # 25 The exclusion of non-vocal aspects from speech......Page 72 # 27 Distinctive features and binary oppositions......Page 73 # 29 Texts as linearly ordered words......Page 74 # 30 Sentences as the only basic units of grammar......Page 75 # 31 A language as a well-defined set of sentences......Page 77 # 32 The decontextualisation of sentences, and the demarcation of grammar from information structure......Page 78 # 33 Correct language......Page 79 # 35 The degenerate and repetitive quality of conversational language......Page 80 # 37 The hierarchical structure of syntactic units......Page 82 # 38 Grammatical ambiguities......Page 83 # 40 Multiple embeddings......Page 84 # 42 Grammaticalised response constructions......Page 85 # 43 Syntactic contaminations and structure violations......Page 86 # 44 Pronouns and demonstratives......Page 87 # 45 Particles, pleonasms and interjections......Page 88 # 46 Fixed meanings: language as a code......Page 89 # 47 Objectivist theory of meaning: meaning as properties of linguistic entities......Page 91 # 48 Meaning as explicit, and the principle of expressibility......Page 93 # 49 The acquisition of word meaning......Page 94 # 51 The semantics vs. pragmatics distinction......Page 95 # 52 Mental representations, propositions and predications......Page 96 # 53 Representational meaning: reference and description......Page 97 # 54 Truth and truth-conditional semantics......Page 98 # 56 The idea of a perfect language......Page 100 # 58 Utterance meaning as determinate......Page 101 # 60 Deixis as exceptional......Page 102 # 61 Speech acts as basic units of language use......Page 103 # 62 Direct and indirect speech acts......Page 104 # 64 The cognition vs. communication distinction......Page 105 # 66 Communication as transfer of meanings......Page 106 # 67 The cognition vs. emotion distinction......Page 107 # 69 Utterances as behaviour......Page 110 # 70 The text vs. context dichotomy......Page 111 # 72 Coherence......Page 112 # 74 Speaker and listener roles......Page 113 # 75 The individual speaker as the sole communicator and producer of the basic constituents of meanings and messages......Page 114 # 76 Rhetoric, and the planning and execution of utterances......Page 115 # 78 Intersubjectivity and understanding......Page 116 # 79 The expression of complete thoughts......Page 117 # 81 Language as an innate and uniquely human property......Page 118 # 82 The discontinuity theory of language evolution......Page 119 # 84 The mind as processing information and representations......Page 120 # 86 Languages, signs and traces......Page 122 # 88 Signs as arbitrary symbols......Page 123 # 89 Syntax as algebra......Page 124 # 90 Writing as a secondary representation......Page 125 # 91 Reading as verbatim reading ‘from the book’......Page 126 # 93 Gestures as non-linguistic signs......Page 127 # 96 The visual mode and the monological stance......Page 128 # 97 Collective representations of the world as stable stocks of knowledge......Page 129 # 99 The homogeneity of cultures......Page 130 # 101 Understanding nature......Page 131 5.11 Conclusion: WLB in linguistics as a partly homogeneous and partly heterogeneous set of assumptions......Page 132 Part III Discussion......Page 135 6.1 Introduction: recontextualising themes in linguistics......Page 136 6.2 The Cartesian distinction between language and the world......Page 140 6.3 Communication as transfer by means of a code......Page 142 6.4 Language and speech......Page 146 6.5 The notion of a language......Page 149 6.5.1 The idea of the perfect language......Page 161 6.6 Language as objects......Page 162 6.7.1 The hidden normativity of modern linguistics......Page 168 6.7.2 Routines, norms, rules and processes......Page 171 6.8 Sentences: the fundamental units of linguistic expression (and content)......Page 180 6.9 Structuralism......Page 185 6.10 The world as text......Page 187 6.11 Recontextualisations summed up......Page 188 7.2 What is the alternative?......Page 193 7.3 The incommensurability of written language and spoken interaction......Page 194 7.4 A misrepresentation of written language, writing and literacy?......Page 195 7.5 Media vs. communicative genres......Page 197 7.7 A language bias instead of a written language bias?......Page 198 7.8 A caricature of linguistics?......Page 199 8.1 Where is language?: three major positions in linguistic meta-theory......Page 204 8.2 Harris: ‘myths’ and ‘made-up’ theories......Page 206 8.3 Chomsky: the theory that people’s languages are ‘linguistically irrelevant’......Page 210 8.4 Radical social interactionism: there is only situated interaction and situated knowledge......Page 215 8.5 Ethnomethodology: the reflexivity of sense-making......Page 217 8.6 Conversation Analysis: the ‘embodied action’ theory of language......Page 219 8.7.1 Dialogism......Page 221 8.7.2 A theory of praxis......Page 222 8.7.3 Language and language games......Page 223 8.7.4 An ‘emergentist’ position......Page 224 8.7.5 Dialogical entities in language......Page 225 8.8 Conclusion......Page 227 9.1 The long past of linguistics......Page 229 9.3 Capturing dynamics: three basic difficulties......Page 230 9.4 A return to linguistic activities......Page 231 Appendix: The written language bias in 101 points......Page 233 References......Page 237 Index......Page 257 The Author Substantiates Claims About The 'written Language Bias' Using Arguments And Points From The Theory And Philosophy Of Language, Phonology, Grammar, Lexicology, Semantics, Pragmatics, Theory Of Text And Discourse. Special Attention Is Given To The Notion Of The Single, Unitary Language, The Distinction Between Language And Speech, The View On Language As A Set Of Abstract Objects And Rules, The Sentence As The Fundamental Unit Of Language, Among Other Themes. Although The Book Focuses On Mainstream Linguistics, It Also Sketches An Alternative Theory Of Language Which Describes Language Use And Talk-in-interaction In Dialogical Terms And As Embodied, Social Action Distributed In Time.--jacket. 1. Introduction -- 2. From Aspects Of Communicative Action To Sets Of Abstract Forms -- 3. Speech And Writing, Spoken And Written Language -- 4. The Written Language Bias In Linguistics And Language Sciences -- 5. The Written Language Bias In 101 Points -- 6. The Transformations Of Some Written-language-based Themes -- 7. Critique Of 'the Written Language Bias' Argument -- 8. People's Languages And Linguists' Grammars -- 9. The Written Language Bias -- Past, Present, Future -- App. The Written Language Bias In 101 Points. Per Linell. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [230]-249) And Index. "The author substantiates claims about the 'written language bias' using arguments and points from the theory and philosophy of language, phonology, grammar, lexicology, semantics, pragmatics, theory of text and discourse. Special attention is given to the notion of the single, unitary language, the distinction between language and speech, the view on language as a set of abstract objects and rules, the sentence as the fundamental unit of language, among other themes. Although the book focuses on mainstream linguistics, it also sketches an alternative theory of language which describes language use and talk-in-interaction in dialogical terms and as embodied, social action distributed in time."--Résumé de l'éditeur