The Subject Matter of the Linguistic Typology

1. The Subject Matter of the Linguistic Typology

Plan

1. Aim of Linguistic Typology. Different approaches to the subject.

2. Linguistic and non-linguistic typology.

3. Method of investigation.

4. Definition of linguistic typology.

5. Typological classification.

Key words and expressions to lecture 1

1) Linguistic typology

2) Linguistic and non-linguistic

3) Methods of investigation

4) General typology

5) Related and non-related

6) Internal, External

7) Synchronically and diachronically

8) Genetic typology

9) Areal typology

10) Comparative typology

11) Structural typology

12) Theoretic typology

13) Phonological typology

14) Morphological typology

15) Syntactic typology

16) Lexical typology

17) Formal typology

18) Semantic typology

19) Plan of expression

20) Plan of meaning

21) Two aspects of the languages

22) Similarity and distinction

23) Universal character

24) Adequate similarities and distinctions.

 

The list of recommended literature:

1) Амирова Т.А., Ольховиков Б.А, Рождественский Ю.В "Очерк по истории лингвистики" Москва,1975

2) Аракин В.Д "Сравнительная типология английского и русского языков" Л, 1979

3)Буранов Д.Ж. "Сравнительная  типология английского и тюркских  языков". Москва, "Высшая школа" 1983

4) Буранов Ж. "Инглиз ва Узбек тиллари киёсий грамматикаси". Тошкент. "Укитувчи" 1973

5) "Лингвистическая типология  и восточные языки". Москва 1965

6) Кацнельсон С.Д "Типология языка и речевое мышление".Л .1972

7) Городецкий Б.Ю "К проблеме семантической типологии". Москва. 1969

8) "Морфологическая типология  и проблема классификации языков" М-Л .1965

9) Поливанов Е.Д "Русская  грамматика в сопоставлении с  узбекским языком" Ташкент. 1934

10) Фортунатов Ф.Ф "Сравнительная морфология" 1956

 

       The language is the important and surprisingly perfect means of mankind's intercourse and exchange of views. The language is the system of signs, which has two aspects the plan of expression and the plan of meaning. These two aspects of the languages make up its structure.

      Analysing some languages we can easily notice the great similarity in their vocabulary and grammar. For example, in Russian, Polish and Bulgarian languages we can see many words of common root. These languages belong to one genetic group that is Slavonic languages.

The adequate similarity we can see in the English and German Languages, which also belong to one genetic group, that is the Germanic languages. Mentioned languages are called Indo-European languages. The Uzbek, Turkic, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Turkmen, Kyrgyz belong to the Turkic group of languages. These languages are quite different than those of Indo-European, both genetically and typologically.

       The linguistic typology investigates not private cases of similarity and distinctions in the structure of languages, but only those phenomenon which have universal character that is, those which include wide circle of similar signs. The linguistic typology defines those features, which separate languages and those ones, which unite them.

      The term "typology" came from the Greek language. It's origin: typos-тип, logos-учение. General typology studies the problems of taxonomy, which studies the theory of classification and systematization on the basis of comparative method. The method is used not only in linguistics but in other branches of science, too. General typology is divided into linguistic typology and non-linguistic typology.

       Non-linguistic typology is used in all sciences besides linguistics, such as history, mathematics chemistry, art, economy and others.

      Linguistic typology studies the language systems on the bases of comparison. Some linguistic consider that linguistic typology is a branch of general linguistics, others consider that it is a self-dependent science about the language. But it has its own subject matter, its own methods, branches and history development.

      There are different approaches defining the aim, the parts and types of linguistic typology. It is an independent science and has its own structure and methods of research.

       There are two approaches to language description:

       1) Internal  2) External.

       The first approach studies the system of any concrete national language. The second approach studies non-related systems i.e. English-Uzbek, English-Russian and so on. Typology may compare language systems panchronically though they are living or dead, besides, it may compare language systems synchronically and diachronically. When the linguist studies the language diachronically he deals with a certain period. Synchronic approach is a dynamic one. Typology is a linguistic approach non-limited in time. Linguistic typology compares the systems of genetically related and non-related languages. Comparison may be substantial and non-substantial. Substantial comparison is a comparison of some concrete things of objects. Non-substantial comparison is a comparison of systems and their elements. For example, we can compare the grammatical structure of different languages.

      Linguistic typology became a self-dependent science or a branch of general linguistics on the base of a Comparative Historical Philology Yu.V.Rojdestvensky writes that languages writes that languages are considered to be related or non-related according to their correspondence in substance.

There are some famous linguists nowadays who study the language systems in comparison. Yu.V. Rojdestvensky, B.A.Uspensky, V.G.Gak, G.P.Melnikov, J.B.Buranov, U.K.Yusupov and others.

      The subject matter of linguistic typology is still a disputable problem, because different scholars had their own understanding of this problem. That's why there are two approaches towards this problem. The first Linguistic typology is a separate branch of science including all kinds of comparison. It is a board sense. The second: linguistic typology is a part of linguistics, which is opposed to traditional comparativistics, characterology, and areal linguistics. In this case it is identified with structural typology.

      The principal significance of linguistic typology is that the latter operates with the limitation of the number of compared languages. The first group of linguists think that the number of languages under comparison should be unlimited. In such cases we deal with linguistic universals. The second group of scholars suggests that the number of compared languages should be limited by related languages. The third group of linguists thinks that the number of compared languages can be even two, including related or non-related languages.

      Linguistic typology may be classified according to the following criteria:

 1) according to the subject of comparison it consists of

  a. genetic typology

  b. areal typology

  c. comparative typology

  d. structural typology (typological theory, typological classification, etalon language, language universals).

  2) according to the levels of language hierarchy linguistic typology consists of

  a. theoretical typology

  b. phonological typology

  c. morphological typology

  d. syntactic typology

  e. lexical typology

  3) according to two plans of language it consists of

  a. formal typology

  b. semantic typology

 

 

SELF-CONTROL QUESTIONS

1) What does the linguistic typology study?

2) What can you say about different viewpoints to the Linguistic typology?

3) Speak about differences between linguistic and non-linguistic typologies.

4) What methods of investigation do you know?

5) How do you understand panchronical approach to comparison of language systems?

6) Characterise substantial and non-substantial types of comparison. Which one is used in modern linguistics?

7) What can you say about internal and external approach to comparison?

8) Give the division of linguistic typology with respect to different criteria.