The turning of the tide : rethinking language, mind and world

Cognitive and generative linguistics may lie at the high water mark of a tradition. They are the culmination of a train of linguistic thought that arose in ancient Greece when language was reduced to parts that could be analyse as constructions, words propositions, and/or meanings. Human agents came to be seen as being caused to say things about the world in which they live. The environment was separated from the mind or body which, in this tradition, became the “seat” of language (and language-use). Of course, such theories appear in many guises. For example, which generativists take a Cartesian view that separates a mind/brain from what is external, cognitive linguists often follow Hume in placing a human body in an environment. In spite of their differences, however, the views are united in their individualism.