2. The typological method in Contrastive Linguistics
3. Language Universals
1. Typology is a branch of linguistics which concerns itself with comparing the properties that languages have, disregarding their genetic relationships.
Its aim is to describe and explain the common properties and the structural diversity of the world's languages.
Linguistic typology compares languages in order to classify them by their features. Its ultimate aim is to understand the universals that govern language, and the range of types found in the world's language is respect of any particular feature (word order or vowel system, for example).
2. There are several approaches in contrastive linguistics which share the typological method:
1) COMPARATIVE LINGUISTICS
2) AREAL LINGUISTICS
3) COMPARATIVE TYPOLOGY
4) LINGUISTIC TYPOLOGY APPROACH
OBJECT
DATA
Comparative Linguistics
a) to establish genetic relationship of languages
b) to reconstruct an original proto-language that gave rise to a number of languages
an unlimited number of kindred languages, like Indo-European e.g.: E. two: R. два: F.deuxG.zwei
Areal Linguistics
to establish common features due to common features (borrowings, bilingualism, language contacts), i.e. secondary relationship of languages
all languages, e.g..: English and French in the 11th century cf. E. part< F.partir, E.technic< F.technique, E.finish< F.finir, E.reason< F.raison, E. technic< F.technique
Comparative Typology
to establish common and distinctive features
a limited number (2-6) of kindred languages
Linguistic Typology
a) to establish common and distinctive features
b) to establish universals
c) to classify languages
all languages
The subject of T. includes parameters and restrictions on intralinguistic variants (Joseph Greenberg)
Functional and functional typological approach (Talmy Givon, Paul Hopper, Sandra Thompson).
Descriptive and generative approaches conform to formal approach to linguistic study.
Common features:
1. The central question: what is a potentially constructed human language?
2. There are universal restrictions to the linguistic structure.
3. These restrictions shall be considered and explained.
Differences:
Functional (Greenbergian)
Formal (Chomskyan)
Inductive method which presupposes that the linguistic constraints reveal through comparison of several languages
Deductive method which presupposes that restrictions on the linguistic structure the linguistic constraints reveal through linguistic study of language
These restrictions are possible as the optimal for the linguistic function used, i.e. linguistic usage
These restrictions refer to the inborn universal grammar component