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La linguistique en toute simplicité / Linguistics, simply

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2019

Denis Bouchard
Denis Bouchard*
Affiliation:
Université du Québec à Montréal
*
bouchard.denis@uqam.ca
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Résumé

La valeur explicative d'une théorie scientifique repose non seulement sur la quantité des éléments primitifs adoptés (principe de simplicité), mais aussi sur la qualité de ces éléments. En linguistique, les propriétés des substances perceptuelles et conceptuelles des signes offrent une base explicative solide parce qu'elles sont logiquement antérieures à l'objet qui est à l’étude. Ceci est particulièrement important parce que le langage est un phénomène neurologique, voire biologique. Moins les éléments d'une théorie linguistique sont spécifiques au domaine langagier, plus ils sont susceptibles d'avoir la granularité nécessaire pour être biologiquement plausibles (Poeppel et Embick 2005).

Cette perspective est celle qui guide mes travaux depuis des décennies. Je l'illustre par l'analyse de plusieurs constructions maintenant classiques dans les études en syntaxe, pour donner une vision globale des conséquences de cette approche. Cette approche méthodologique renouvelle la notion d'adéquation explicative et répond à des questions laissées en suspens dans l'argumentation linguistique des six dernières décennies.

Abstract

The explanatory value of a scientific theory rests not only upon the quantity of primitive elements adopted (principle of simplicity), but also upon the quality of these elements. In linguistics, the properties of the perceptual and conceptual substances of the signs provide a solid explanatory basis because they are logically prior to the object under study. This is particularly important because language is a neurological, biological phenomenon. The less language-specific the elements of a linguistic theory are, the more likely they are to have the granularity required to be biologically plausible (Poeppel and Embick 2005).

This perspective has been guiding my research for decades. I illustrate it by an analysis of several constructions now classic in syntactic studies, to give a global view of its consequences. This methodological approach renews the notion of explanatory adequacy and answers questions that have been left pending in linguistic argumentation for the past six decades.

Keywords

syntaxesémantiquepouvoir explicatifsimplicité qualitativesubstances langagièressyntaxsemanticsexplanatory powerqualitative simplicitylanguage substances
Type
Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique , Volume 64 , Issue 2: Les signes, leur combinaison et les propriétés fondamentales du langage : un hommage à Denis Bouchard / Signs, their combination, and the fundamental properties of language: A tribute to Denis Bouchard , June 2019 , pp. 360 - 405
Copyright
© Canadian Linguistic Association/Association canadienne de linguistique 2019 

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