Politics, Science and – yes! – Linguistics

Until the twenties of the last century, German was still the most common language of science. By 1933 Germany had won more Nobel Prizes than any other nation, more than England and the United States combined. Then came Hitler and his policy of systematic lies (and crimes). After the Second World War, German was just one language among others, and German science lost much of its former significance.

Politics, Science and – yes! – Linguistics weiterlesen

Politik, Wissenschaft und – ja, Sie lesen richtig! – Linguistik

Noch in den zwanziger Jahren des vergangenen Jahrhunderts war Deutsch die gebräuchlichste Wissenschaftssprache. Bis 1933 hatte Deutschland mehr Nobelpreise errungen als irgendeine andere Nation, mehr als England und die Vereinigten Staaten zusammen. Dann kamen Hitler und seine Politik der systematischen Lüge (und Verbrechen). Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg war Deutsch nur noch eine Sprache unter anderen, und deutsche Wissenschaft büßte ihren einstigen Rang weitgehend ein.

Politik, Wissenschaft und – ja, Sie lesen richtig! – Linguistik weiterlesen

Dr. Goldsmith‘ deplorable Debacle while fighting his „Battles in the Mind Fields“

The intellectual jousting of scientists – let’s call it with Dr. Goldsmith „Battles in the Mind Fields“ – may certainly arouse some interest among curious bystanders as it reveals both the open horizon of scientific discourse and its obvious limits. Dr. Goldsmith‘ deplorable Debacle while fighting his „Battles in the Mind Fields“ weiterlesen

The Hallpike Paper – Universal and Generative grammar – a trend-setting idea or a mental straitjacket?

It is Noam Chomsky’s merit to have significantly influenced (if not created) a prominent area of modern linguistics by asking the right questions. The Hallpike Paper – Universal and Generative grammar – a trend-setting idea or a mental straitjacket? weiterlesen

The Goldsmith Paper (Prof. John Goldsmith, University of Chicago, and Dr. Gero Jenner, author of “Principles of Language” criticize Chomsky’s Universal Grammar)

When it comes to Universal and Generative Grammar – undoubtedly a central topic of the modern science of language – the prevailing attitude of linguists – even that of its American representatives – is best described as hagiographic prostration vis-à-vis its prominent author: an attitude stifling to the critical mind and that furthermore stigmatizes all those as heretics who dare to proffer their “ceterum censeo”. The Goldsmith Paper (Prof. John Goldsmith, University of Chicago, and Dr. Gero Jenner, author of “Principles of Language” criticize Chomsky’s Universal Grammar) weiterlesen