RELATIONSHIP OF DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS IN KEY AREAS
1. RELATIONSHIP OF
DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS
IN THE FOLLOWING
AREAS
AUTONOMY OF SYNTAX
COMPOSITIONALITY
CONSERVATIVE- INNOVATIVE FORMS
PRESCRIPTIVISM
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Adonai Shammah M. Lumba
MaEd English
Philippine Christian University
2. WHAT IS A SIMPLE DEFINITION OF SYNTAX?
It is the way in which
linguistic elements (such
as words) are put
together to form
constituents (such as
phrases or clauses)
3. THE AUTONOMY OF SYNTAX
• the theory that syntax is a unique component
of language that operates completely independently
of meaning (semantics) and function (pragmatics). This
view explains how a sentence with no specific content is
often recognized as grammatical by native speakers
(see grammaticality). It also explains why rules, such as
number agreement between subject and verb, operate
independent of the semantic relationship between the
sentence elements.
4. EXAMPLE
in the two sentences
The hoy is slamming the doors and
The doors ore being shimmed by the hoy
the verb takes different forms to agree with the grammatical subject in each case (boy is- doors are),
irrespective of the fact that in both cases the boy is the agent of the action, and the doors are mentioned.
5. "Autonomous syntax refers to the idea
that meaning and pragmatics can be understood, irrespective of
the syntax of a sentence:
the dof ate a bone
emphasizes the idea that syntax operates independently of
independently of meaning."
6. WHAT DOES AUTONOMOUS SYNTAX MEAN?
• the theory that syntax
is an autonomous
component of
language that
operates
independently of
meaning (semantics)
and function
(pragmatics).
7. THE PRINCIPLE OF COMPOSITIONALITY
• The analysis of phrase and sentence meaning is based on the Principle of
Compositionality that is usually ascribed to Gottlob Frege (Frege's principle of meaning,
Fregean principle). According to this principle, it is assumed that the whole
meaning of a phrase or sentence can be described according
to the functional interdependency of the meaning of its parts.
Thus, the meaning of a phrase or sentence can be reconstructed by the meaning of its
component parts and their syntactic relationship to one another.
8. • In general, the Principle of Compositionality is based on the assumption that the interpretation of
sentence meaning includes aspects of lexical semantics as well as syntax. Thus, the same words
can be combined differently to form sentences with a different meaning, as in the sentences
The dog chased the cat and
The cat chased the dog.
In many cases, even identical sequences of words can have more than one possible meaning and are
thus referred to as structurally ambiguous. Such a structural ambiguity is found in sentences with
more than one possible reading, as in sentences like
The reporter talked about an explosion in Paris.
(For a syntactic analysis of this sentence, consult the page on ambiguous VPs in the syntax module!)
9. Besides our knowledge of word meanings and syntactic structures, there
are even more factors involved in the interpretation of sentence meaning.
In many cases, implicit assumptions called presuppositions play an
important role. Presuppositions, i.e. certain attitudes and beliefs of the
speaker and the addressee, are different from entailment since they also
hold true when the presupposing sentence is negated: The sentences John
managed to pass the exam and John didn't manage to pass the exam both
presuppose John tried to pass the exam. There are a number
of presupposition triggers that are regularly associated with certain
assumptions (e.g. manage, realize, regret). As presuppositions play an
important role in the interpretation of contextual meaning, they are said to
be on the semantics - pragmatics interface.
10. CONSERVATIVE- INNOVATIVE FORMS
• In linguistics, a conservative form, variety, or modality is one that has changed
relatively little over its history, or which is relatively resistant to change. It is the
opposite of innovative or advanced forms or varieties, which have undergone relatively
larger or more recent changes.
• What is the most conservative language?
Conversation. Lithuanian is often said to be the most conservative living Indo-European
language, retaining features of Proto-Indo-European now lost in other languages. Early
books in Lithuanian are seldom seen.
11. In linguistics, a conservative form, variety, or modality is one that has changed
relatively little over its history, or which is relatively resistant to change. It is the
opposite of innovative or advanced forms or varieties, which have undergone relatively
larger or more recent changes.
12. PRESCRIPTIVISM
Prescriptivism is the attitude or belief that one variety of a language is superior to
others and should be promoted as such. It is also known as linguistic prescriptivism
and purism. An ardent promoter of prescriptivism is called a prescriptivist or, informally,
a stickler.
• What is the impact of prescriptivism in language use?
Rather than uniting the speakers of that language more tightly into a single nation, this
form of prescriptivism has only led to increased linguistic insecurity for speakers,
who now think that they have been using their language 'wrong' all this time.
13. • What is a prescriptivism in English language?
The term prescriptivism refers to the ideology and practices in which the correct and incorrect
uses of a language or specific linguistic items are laid down by explicit rules that are externally
imposed on the users of that language.
• What is the importance of prescriptivism?
Prescriptivism is a very useful trade, especially to prepare for things such as writing formal
letters or preparing important business meetings. However, this should not be the most
important thing students learn in the classroom.
• What is wrong with prescriptivism?
Why is it it bad? In part, it is bad because it falsely assumes the existence of a uniform and
unchanging standard and thereby fails to recognize the naturalness of linguistic
variation and change. Another reason it is bad is because it is frequently, though not always,
based on bad descriptive linguistics.S
14. Criticisms. Prescriptivism has been widely criticized and has few adherents today.
Many ethicists reject Hare's claim that moral language is not informative—that the
purpose of moral talk is not to express moral truths or moral facts.
• Can you think of any ways or situations in which prescriptivism is unhelpful?
Prescriptivists often concern themselves with minute details of usage and grammar,
such as split infinitives or dangling participles, and condemn anyone who “falls into
the trap” of failing to recognize the “correct” form as “uneducated” or “backward.”
However, this shortsighted view rarely takes into account the true .
15. • What are the differences between a Descriptivist and prescriptivist approach to
language analysis?
Prescriptivism is an approach to language that is concerned with establishing norms of
correct and incorrect usage and formulating rules based on these norms. In contrast,
descriptivism is a nonjudgmental approach to language that is concerned with actual
language usage by its speakers and writers.
• What are the central claims of prescriptivism?
Universal prescriptivism (often simply called prescriptivism) is the meta-ethical view
which claims that, rather than expressing propositions, ethical sentences function
similarly to imperatives which are universalizable — whoever makes a moral
judgment is committed to the same judgment in any situation where the same ...
17. •Data, Data Collection, Types, Tools
What is Data?
Datum is singular form of data.
Pieces of information obyained in a study.
Data is rough material that researcher collects from the sample
Evidence/clues for answering thr research questions and proving
nullifying the hypothesis.
18. DATA COLLECTION
Is the systematic approach to gather information from the
variety of sources
To get a complete and accurate picture of an area of
interest
Enable a researcher to answer the relevant questions
To evaluate outcomes(output results)
To make prediction for proving or negating the
19. TYPES OF DATA
1. 1. Primary Data: collected by the investigator himself for a specific
purpose
2. Secondary Data: collected by someone elses for some other purpose
( but utilized by the investigator for another purpose), e.g. CENSUS (
Official count.survey especially of population) data used to analyze
the impact of education on career choice and earning.
3. Descriptive and Numerical Data ( Qualitative and Quantitative data)
Depends on the research design, RQ’s and paradigm (Qualitative and
Quantitative)
20. TOOLS OF DATA COLLECTION
•Tools are devices/instruments/means used for data
collection
•Data Collection is quantitative research are interviews,
focused group discussion and observation.
•Data Collection tools in Qualitative research are
questionnaire, structures/closed observation, pre/post
test.
23. WHAT DOES PRESCRIPTIVISM MEAN IN
LINGUISTICS?
• The term prescriptivism refers to the ideology and
practices in which the correct and incorrect uses of a
language or specific linguistic items are laid down by
explicit rules that are externally imposed on the users of
that language.
24. WHAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF PRESCRIPTIVISM?
• "[Prescriptivism is the] policy of describing languages as
we would like them to be, rather than as we find them.
Typical examples of prescriptivist attitudes are
the condemnation of preposition stranding and of the
split infinitive and a demand for It's I in place of the
normal It's me."
25. MEANING OF PRESCRIPTIVIST IN ENGLISH
•
believing that there are correct and wrong ways to use
language and that books about language should give
rules to follow, rather than describing how language is
really used: Some teachers hold to the prescriptivist view in
the debate over usage and dictionaries
26. WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESCRIPTIVISM?
• Prescriptivism is a very useful trade, especially to prepare for
things such as writing formal letters or preparing important
business meetings.
• However, this should not be the most important thing students
learn in the classroom.
27. WHAT IS PRESCRIPTIVISM USED FOR?
• Prescriptivism is the term used for approaches to language that set out rules for what is
regarded as “good” or “correct” usage.
• Descriptivism is an evidence-based approach to language that describes, in an objective
manner, how language is being used.
WHO CREATED PRESCRIPTIVISM?
prescriptivism, In metaethics, the view that moral judgments are prescriptions and therefore
have the logical form of imperatives. Prescriptivism was first advocated by Richard
M. Hare (born 1919) in The Language of Morals (1952).