Structuralist Linguistics: A Detailed Exploration of its Ideas

Author: Song Xuan / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: The new century has arrived, and the study of human language has also reached a new stage. Various emerging linguistic theories and research methods (such as generative grammar, functional grammar, cognitive linguistics, etc.) have emerged one after another, presenting a scene of prosperity. However, we believe that from the actual state of Chinese linguistics, there are two characteristics: First, whether at the level of linguistic research or language teaching, we can still see the traces of structuralist linguistics. This is because: on the one hand, the development of 20th-century Chinese linguistics (especially Chinese grammar) was closely linked to structuralist linguistics. In the 1950s and 1960s, the ideas of structuralist linguistics began to have a profound impact on Chinese linguistics, especially on Chinese grammar research, and their research methods and models continued until the 1990s. On the other hand, the various new linguistic theories introduced into Chinese grammar in the 1990s were mostly reflections and rebellions against the principles of structuralist linguistics from different perspectives. Therefore, even in terms of the historical continuity of linguistic trends, the study of structuralist linguistic thought should also occupy a place. Second, a comprehensive summary and evaluation of structuralist thought has long been a blank. Even when occasional review articles are seen, they merely address specific issues. The Introduction to Famous Western Linguistic Works edited by Mr. Hu Mingyang is insightful in many aspects, but it is actually a collection of papers written by numerous scholars, covering too broad a scope, and brevity is inevitable. As for works that provide a more detailed elaboration on the roots of structuralist thought, research methods, and their impact on Chinese linguistics through careful reading of classic works, they are still lacking in China. Moreover, as the famous Swiss philosopher Jean Piaget (J. Piaget) said when evaluating the "structuralist" trend: "It is very difficult to define the characteristics of structuralism, because it takes many forms and lacks a common denominator. Moreover, the various 'structures' mentioned have increasingly different meanings. However, by comparing the different meanings of structuralism in various contemporary sciences and increasingly fashionable discussions, it may still be possible to attempt a synthesis." How could the differences and distinctions among the "structuralist" schools in the field of linguistics be any different: from Saussure and his disciples in the early 20th century to the mainstream of American linguistics in the 1950s, they can all be broadly called "structuralist linguistics." However, from Saussure to Harris, Hockett (if we follow Piaget's view, even Chomsky's "generative grammar" should be included), structuralist linguistics has undergone significant development and evolution in both its principles and research methods. What their historical continuity and important differences are needs to be introduced in a more comprehensive way. Based on the above understanding, we believe that if a relatively comprehensive review of structuralist linguistics can be conducted by combining classic theoretical works with language research practice, clarifying its origins and development, it will not only have important theoretical significance but also certain practical value in language research and teaching. I have been engaged in teaching linguistic theory in universities for more than ten years, teaching courses such as General Linguistics, Special Topics in Linguistics, and Introduction to Linguistics. In practice, I deeply feel the important guiding significance of linguistic theory for language teaching and research. However, due to my limited knowledge, I cannot achieve the grand goal mentioned above. Therefore, I dare to summarize the accumulated insights from my study of classic works on structuralist linguistics over the years in this small book, Exploring the Thoughts of Structuralist Linguistics, with the aim of sparking interest and drawing attention to these issues among domestic experts. The content of this book is primarily based on several classic works on structural linguistics that are most representative of the 20th century and have had a profound impact on Chinese linguistics (such as Saussure's Course in General Linguistics, Bloomfield's Language, Sapir's Language, and supplementary discussion of Hockett's A Course in Modern Linguistics), presented in dedicated chapters and topics, striving to elaborate on the main ideas of the original works in detail. The two key points emphasized are: First, providing a detailed introduction and review of the series of important issues discussed in these classic works, highlighting the role of structuralist linguistic thought in inheriting and innovating; Second, as much as possible, connecting Chinese linguistic research, especially Chinese grammar research, to clarify the important impact of structuralist linguistic thought on 20th-century Chinese linguistics. Therefore, the content of this book is centered on explaining the theoretical thought of structuralism, and specific language research and language materials will be listed as appropriate. Regarding references, we plan to arrange them as follows: Important works will be listed at the end of the book with their authors, titles, publishers, and publication dates; due to space limitations, individual articles will not be listed at the end. When citing relevant literature in the main text, if it is a book, it will be marked with a "footnote" indicating the author, title, and page number; if it is an individual article, it will also be marked with the publication journal and date.