Linguistic Philosophy in the Light of Modern Linguistics

Abstract

Both linguistic philosophers and their opponents are apparently of the opinion that linguistic structure can be recognised intuitively and that the matter is still virgin ground. However, as this paper shows, much of the confusion and acrimony of the recent dispute on linguistic philosophy is due to the neglect of scientific linguistics as we know it to-day, and to the difference between what Wittgenstein called “linguistics” and what is now understood by that term. in particular, it is shown that two of the so-called “pillars” of linguistic philosophy, viz., the argument from paradigma cases and the argument from the contrast theory of meaning, not only receive no support from, but are invalidated by, scientific linguistics.