The Development of Modern Linguistics

  • Ferdinand de Saussure publishes Course in General Linguistics

    • Considered the founder of modern linguistics.
    • Introduced the concept of structuralism (language as a system of signs.)
    • Distinguished between langue (language system) and parole (speech).
    • Influenced later linguistic theories and semiotics.
  • Noam Chomsky releases Syntactic Structures

    • Marks the beginning of Generative Grammar theory.
    • Proposed that humans have an innate language faculty.
    • Shifted focus from descriptive to cognitive approaches to language.
    • Revolutionized Linguistic theory and inspired Psycholinguistics.
  • Rise of Sociolinguistics

    • Scholars like William Labov and Dell Hymes explored how language varies by social factors.
    • Emphasized context, identity, and culture in language use.
    • Helped educators understand the impact of dialects and language diversity in classrooms.
  • Functional and Cognitive Linguistics Emerge

    • Focus shifted toward how language reflects thought and meaning-making.
    • Theories by George Lakoff and Ronald Langacker emphasized conceptual metaphors and mental representation.
    • Encouraged teaching language through meaningful, contextual learning rather than rote grammar.
  • Computational and Corpus Linguistics Expansion

    • Use of technology and big data to study language patterns.
    • Corpus tools and AI language models allow large-scale linguistic analysis.
    • Applications in education technology, translation, and language learning tools.
    • Encourages data-driven and adaptive teaching methods.