Linguistic relativity and language as epiphenomenon: two contradictory positions
- The assumption of linguistics relativity and the definition of languages as epiphenomena are certainly known as two contradictory positions from the last century. But I will start my discussion of them in the period of their appearance and then use this as a basis to evaluate the heuristic value of these positions in present day linguistics. I will start with the definition of language as an epiphenomenon and then I will go on with the linguistic relativity. The notion of ʽepiphenomenon’ is usually used to exclude certain aspects of a scientific object because they are considered to be deduced from others. In linguistics, restrictions of the research object were made, invoking the notion of ʽepiphenomenonʼ, which was partially done with a polemical attitude, and was always responded to polemically.
| Author details: | Gerda HaßlerORCiDGND |
|---|---|
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.18364/rc.v0i55 |
| ISSN: | 2317-4153 |
| Title of parent work (Portuguese): | Confluência. Revista do Instituto de língua portuguesa |
| Publication type: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Year of first publication: | 2018 |
| Publication year: | 2018 |
| Publishing institution: | Universität Potsdam |
| Release date: | 2019/01/02 |
| Volume: | 2018 |
| Issue: | 55 |
| First page: | 82 |
| Last Page: | 98 |
| Organizational units: | Philosophische Fakultät / Institut für Romanistik |
| DDC classification: | 4 Sprache / 44 Französisch, romanische Sprachen allgemein / 440 Romanische Sprachen; Französisch |
