this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2024
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Linguistics Humor

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Do you like languages and linguistics ? Here is for having fun about it


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[โ€“] just_chill@jlai.lu 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

For he layperson, probably correct. I'd say thay in a scientific context, the definition needs to be adapted to the research context. What are we looking at, what are we searching for ? How do we define "word" in a usable manner ? Languages are made up anyway !!
I'm afraid I don't really have specific litterature to recommend, and I'm not quite sure where my notes went ^^' but I will still recommend a book an categories: "birds colo(u)rs and prepositions". Not about words per se, but about where and how we draw lines between categories. A more generic approach to the question.

[โ€“] lugal@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 day ago

Ok, true. In the scientific context it's good to know many definitions and know which one to apply in a given situation. But it's not that the overall opinion of a linguist as a person. It's rather than you learn not to take any of them, including your intuition, too seriously if that makes sense.

I'll put the book on my reading list! I barely do any linguistics since university and it might be fun reading again. Thanks!