|
The Multidisciplinary Nature of Linguistics
LANGUAGE IS THE COMMON thread running through all human enterprise. Without a doubt the most significant invention of
humanity, language makes possible the safeguarding of history, the transmission of literature and drama, and the encapsulation
of philosophy. It is through language that the visual and performance arts, as well as mathematics, are analyzed, and language
shares with these the quality of symbolic expression. Cultural and political organization, as well as commerce, cooperative
labor, architecture, and social planning, are made possible through the manipulation of oral and written language forms. Language
also allows us to peek into the psyche and is the primary vehicle of both education and propaganda. In addition, as the realization
of multiple sophisticated physiological and cerebral processes, language represents the crowning achievement of human biological
evolution.
Because of the primacy of language in all aspects of human life, linguistics is of necessity a multidisciplinary pursuit.
Although a core group of theoretical linguists work on exhaustive analyses of the internal syntactic, morphological, and phonological
structures of particular languages, an even larger group of scholars approach language from a multitude of cross-disciplinary
perspectives. Among these are anthropological linguists, sociolinguists, psycholinguists, philosophers of language, neurolinguists,
and historical and comparative linguists. Linguistics has a vibrant applied arm that directs its attention to such matters
as translation and interpretation, first and second language pedagogy, literacy, language planning and policymaking, discourse
analysis, and speech therapy.
Unfortunately, despite the centrality of language, linguistics as a discipline is relatively unknown to the general public.
Erroneous perceptions of linguists as polyglots or grammarians linger in the public consciousness. Even at the post-secondary
level, linguistics is only explored by a limited population.
At the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras, there are numerous linguistics courses available within the English Department
(at the B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. levels) and in the Graduate Program in Linguistics. In addition, courses on linguistic issues
are offered in Education, Philosophy, Hispanic Studies, and Anthropology. The motivated student has many opportunities to
become exposed to linguistics, although relatively few do.
What is needed is a serious consideration of the ways in which linguistics can be made more attractive and palatable to
students who may be scared off by arcane symbols and abstruse theory. Given that language is the universal property of humanity,
linguistics should be promoted as a vital tool for understanding the human essence in all its manifestations, the ultimate
multidisciplinary endeavor.
by Alicia Pousada, Ph.D.
English Department
|
