Language Misconceived: Arguing for Applied Cognitive Sociolinguistics

213 Pages·2006·2.44 MB·English

by  Karol Janicki

KKaarrooll JJaanniicckkii
LLAANNGGUUAAGGEE
MMIISSCCOONNCCEEIIVVEEDD
Arguing for Applied Cognitive Sociolinguistics
LANGUAGE MISCONCEIVED
Arguing for Applied
Cognitive Sociolinguistics

LANGUAGE MISCONCEIVED
Arguing for Applied
Cognitive Sociolinguistics
Karol Janicki
University of Bergen, Norway
LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS
2006 Mahwah, New Jersey London
Copyright(cid:1)2006byLawrenceErlbaumAssociates,Inc.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedin
anyform,byphotostat,microform,retrievalsystem,oranyother
means,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.
LawrenceErlbaumAssociates,Inc.,Publishers
10IndustrialAvenue
Mahwah,NewJersey07430
www.erlbaum.com
CoverdesignbyKathrynHoughtalingLacey
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Janicki,Karol.
Languagemisconceived:arguingforappliedcognitivesociolinguistics/
KarolJanicki.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindexes.
ISBN0-8058-5680-3(cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN0-8058-5682-X(pbk.:alk.paper)
1.Linguistics—Philosophy. 2.Sociolinguistics. 3.Essentialism
(Philosophy) I.Title.
P121.J277 2005
410(cid:2).1—dc22 2005052262
CIP
BookspublishedbyLawrenceErlbaumAssociatesareprintedonacid-freepaper,
andtheirbindingsarechosenforstrengthanddurability.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Preface ix
I FROM MISCONCEPTIONS TO CONCEPTIONS
1 Meaning and Definitions Misconceived 3
Introduction 3
Explicit (Overt) Essentialism 5
Covert Essentialism 6
Criticism of Essentialism 7
2 Word Meaning, Definitions, Linguists,
and Philosophical Commitments 11
Introduction 11
Endnote 37
3 Integrational Linguistics and Nonessentialism 38
Introduction 38
Roy Harris’ Integrational Linguistics 39
Conclusions 47
4 Variations on Meaning in Cognitive Linguistics 49
On the Fuzziness of Concepts 49
More on the Imprecision of Concepts 55
v
vi CONTENTS
Slipping Into Essentialism? 59
On Flexibility and Creativity 63
Treating Language “Seriously” 65
On Unconventional Metaphor 66
On Misunderstanding 72
Conclusion 81
Endnotes 82
II LANGUAGE (MIS)CONCEPTIONS IN PRACTICE
5 Language in Politics 89
The Clinton–Lewinsky Case 89
The Florida Vote Conflict 96
Abortion, Euthanasia, and the Stem-Cell Research Conflicts 98
Political Correctness 108
Miscellaneous 120
Conclusions: From Essentialism to Conflict and War 125
Endnotes 130
6 Language in Law 131
Misconceptions About Defendants 131
Misconceptions About Language in the Legal Context 132
Instructions on Interrogation 134
Judges’ Ideologies and Language 138
Conclusions 140
7 Language in Academia 141
Introduction 141
Is Julia Kristeva a Scientist? 142
Conclusions 150
Endnote 151
8 Language in Education 152
The Standard Variety 152
Ebonics 157
On New Words—Education Toward Nonessentialism 158
Conclusions 169
Endnotes 170
III APPLIED COGNITIVE SOCIOLINGUISTICS—
A SUMMARY
9 Viewing and Studying Language a Nonessentialist Way 175
CONTENTS vii
Coda 185
References 186
Author Index 193
Subject Index 197

Preface
The main goal of this book is to show how some linguists and many
laypersonsalikemisconceivelanguageandwhattheconsequencesareof
suchmisconceiving.Intheformercase,theconsequencesconcernmainly
the domain of linguistics; they include spinning the linguistic wheels
(e.g., returning to the same questions again and again) or delayed re-
search progress at best. In the latter case, the consequences include a
number of disagreeable phenomena, such as intolerance, dogmatism,
conceit, and conflict.
In Part I of the book, I address a number of related misconceptions
aboutlanguage.Inmyopinion,misconceivinglanguage(i.e.,havinganun-
rewardingviewofthemechanicsofhowitworks)canbetracedtoone’sba-
sic philosophical beliefs, which we all have, regardless of whether we are
awareofit.InPartI,Idiscussthephilosophicalviewcalledessentialismand
its negative impact on the linguist’s work and the layperson’s life. I later
proposeandpromoteanonessentialistviewoflanguage,whichmaybeseen
as liberating and rewarding in that it easily allows us to understand the
many linguistic phenomena around us. Essentialism fails to let us under-
stand these phenomena. The misconceptions discussed in Part I can be
seen,largely,asaresultofessentialistthinking.Inotherwords,essentialism
maybethoughtofasthecommondenominatorofmostofthefaultythink-
ing about language.
Inchapter1,somefundamentalmisconceptionsandquestionspertain-
ingtomeaningsanddefinitionsofwordsarediscussed.Theviewpromoted
hereisthatmeaningsofwordsarefuzzyandimprecise,andprecisedefini-
ix