Description
Book SynopsisLinguistics is a subject which came to the fore only in the 1960s. It is founded on a fallacy. Linguistics claims to be 'the scientific study of language', but language behaviour is too open-ended and creative to be treated by the methods of science. In consequence, linguistic theories systematically distort the nature of language, and present a misleading picture of our human nature. Geoffrey Sampson shows how various traditions of linguistics, and their accounts of different aspects of language, are all infected by the delusion of scientism. And he offers positive examples of how language can be studied insightfully, once the scientistic delusion is given up.
Table of Contents1. Introduction2. Theoretical Preliminaries3. The Earliest Writing4. A Syllabic System: Linear B5. Consonantal Writing6. European Alphabetic Writing7. Influences on Graph-shape Evolution8. A Featural System: Korean Hangul9. A Logographic System: Chinese Writing10. Pros and Cons of Logography11. A Mixed System: Japanese Writing12. Writing Systems and Information Technology13. English Spelling14. Conclusion
