AN ANALYSIS OF LINGUISTIC NORMATIVITY AND COMMUNICATION AS A RESPONSE TO OBJECTIONS TO A BIOPSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION FOR LINGUISTICS
AN ANALYSIS OF LINGUISTIC NORMATIVITY AND COMMUNICATION AS A RESPONSE TO OBJECTIONS TO A BIOPSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION FOR LINGUISTICS

Summary/Abstract: This paper addresses the common-sense objections to a biopsychological understanding of natural languages. Some traditional notions of shared public languages are problematic for various reasons, both logical and social. It is argued, however, that a modest pragmatic analysis of linguistic norms is defensible, and can illuminate the nature of communication without abandoning a biopsychological perspective. An attempt is made to flesh out Jackendoff’s notion of the “tuning” of semantic representations for the purposes of communication (Jackendoff, 2002). Ultimately, it is argued, a biopsychological perspective remains the best-justified hypothesis for the foundation of core theoretical linguistics.

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