Methodologically breakthrough statements in Polish linguistics of the second half of the 20th century and their consequences Cover Image

Konstatacje przełomowe metodologicznie w językoznawstwie polskim drugiej połowy xx wieku i ich konsekwencje
Methodologically breakthrough statements in Polish linguistics of the second half of the 20th century and their consequences

Author(s): Maciej Grochowski
Subject(s): Historical Linguistics, Western Slavic Languages
Published by: Polskie Towarzystwo Językoznawcze
Keywords: theoretical linguistics; methodology of linguistics; history of Polish linguistics; grammar; semantics; metalanguage;

Summary/Abstract: This paper is a contribution to the history of theoretical linguistics in Poland. The starting point are statements made by four Polish scholars, Jerzy Kuryłowicz, Andrzej Bogusławski, Anna Wierzbicka, and Stanisław Karolak, which have been chosen subjectively (but not randomly) and which I consider to be methodologically groundbreaking. They resulted in significant changes in research tools and thus brought about changes in the language of linguistics. These changes concern the authors themselves as well as other linguists, both their contemporaries and representatives of the next generations. The order in which I list the four names is determined by the dates of the original publications that include the statements. The statements discussed in this article were made in the second half of the 20th century; an assessment of the relevance of theoretical statements appearing in the 21st century would be premature. I do not assess the originality of the selected statements from the point of view of world science (I consider such a task unfeasible), nor do I examine their sources. The aim of the article is to point to the evolution of research tools and to draw attention to the methodological progress in Polish linguistics over the last seventy years.

  • Issue Year: LXXIX/2023
  • Issue No: 79
  • Page Range: 53-62
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: Polish
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