In linguistics, methods of linguistic research are a set of standard tools and techniques based on assumptions about the nature of the analyzed object. They were formed as a result of the development of science itself, as well as in the process of activity of different directions and schools.
In a broad sense,
scientific and linguistic research methods are not only means and methods of studying an object, but also meta-scientific beliefs, values ​​shared by people engaged in linguistics.
Features
Within the framework of general linguistics, methods of linguistic research are formed on the basis of global goals of analysis, accepted by scientists of value obligations expressed in:
- the desire to approach the ideal of rigor of description;
- practical value of the activity;
- comparability of the results of linguistic analysis with the results of other types of research.
With the development of the methodology, the idea of ​​which approaches to research can be considered scientific and which are not important is of no small importance.
At the same time, methods of linguistic research are the starting points used without evidence. They are not in doubt until a crisis phenomenon arises in the development of science or its separate direction.
In a broad sense, the methodology forms the core of the discipline, makes up its basic tools.
The main methods of linguistic research
The key means and techniques of language analysis should be considered methods:
- descriptive;
- comparative historical;
- comparative
- historical;
- structural;
- opposition;
- component analysis;
- stylistic analysis;
- quantitative;
- automatic analysis;
- logical and semantic modeling.
In addition, science uses language stratification. As a method of linguistic research, it has become widespread. With her, perhaps, we begin the description of techniques.
Stratification in Linguistics
The emergence of this research method is due to the diversity of the structure of society. Stratification is expressed in speech and language differences between representatives of a particular social group.
As a result of stratification (social separation), sociolinguistic indicators arise. They are linguistic elements: phraseological and lexical units, syntactic constructions, phonetic features. All of them indicate the social status of the speaker.
The subject of sociolinguistics is the problem of "man-society." The object of study is the variability of the structure of the language. Accordingly, variables (indicators) become the object of analysis.
One of the key methods of sociolinguistics is the correlation (statistical dependence) of social and linguistic phenomena.
Data for analysis (age, level of education, gender, occupation, etc.) can be obtained through a survey of respondents. This method is widespread in sociolinguistics, because it allows you to form ideas about the language, to determine the relative social level of competing linguistic forms.
Representatives of domestic schools of linguistics have always shown an increased interest in the social aspect of language. The ideas about the close connection of linguistics and the social life of native speakers were formulated by Shcherba, Polivanov, Shakhmatov and other prominent scientists.
Descriptive technique
It is used in the study of the social functioning of the language system. With its help, you can analyze the elements of the parts of the "language mechanism".
The descriptive method of linguistic research requires a thorough and very accurate characterization of morphemes, phonemes, words, grammatical forms, etc.
The consideration of each element is carried out formally and semantically. This technique is currently used in conjunction with the structural method of linguistic research .
Comparative method
It can be attributed to the number of modern methods of linguistic research . Like a descriptive device, a comparative way of learning a language is focused on the present, on the functioning of the linguistic structure. However, the key task is the knowledge of the differences and similarities of the two (or even more) languages.
The main subject of the comparative method of linguistic research is the structure of language systems. When using this technique, it is necessary to constantly compare individual elements and entire areas of the structure. For example, using this method, you can analyze verbs in Russian and English.
Structural method
This technique arose in the twentieth century, so it is considered one of the modern methods of linguistic research . The formation of the structural method was associated with the work of the Polish and Russian scientist I. A. Baudouin de Courtenay, the national linguist N. S. Trubetskoy, a linguist from Switzerland F. de Saussure, and other prominent scientists.
The key task of this
method of linguistic research is to know the language in the form of a holistic structure, the parts and components of which are correlated and connected through a strict system of relations.
The structural device can be considered as a continuation of the descriptive method. Both of them are aimed at studying the functioning of the language system.
The difference is that the descriptive device is used in the study of "sets" of parts and components that operate in a language. The structural method, in turn, allows you to explore the relationships, relationships, relationships between them. Inside this technique, there are several varieties: transformational and distributive analysis, as well as the method of direct components. Let's consider them briefly.
Distribution analysis
This method of linguistic research is based on the study of the environment of individual units in the text. When using it, information about the full grammatical or lexical meaning of the components is not applied.
The term "distribution" literally means "distribution" (translated from Latin).
The formation of distributive analysis is associated with the emergence in the USA of “descriptive linguistics” - one of the major schools of structuralism.
The distribution method of linguistic research is based on various phenomena:
- Accompaniment of the analyzed component by other units or precedence of other elements in the speech flow.
- The ability of one element to lexically, phonetically, or grammatically associate with other components.
For example, consider the sentence "The girl is very happy." The element "very" is adjacent to the word "girl". But these language units do not have the ability to communicate. We can say that the words "girl" and "very" have speech, but not language distribution. But the words “girl” and “pleased”, on the contrary, are devoid of language, but endowed with speech distribution.
Direct Analysis
This method of linguistic research is aimed at creating word-formation structures of a single word and a specific phrase (sentence) in the form of a hierarchy of elements embedded in each other.
For clarity, consider the following example: "The old woman who lives there went to the house of her daughter Anna."
Syntactic analysis consists in examining the relationship of each word included in a sentence with another language element present in it. However, this is a pretty long way.
It is more appropriate to identify the relations of the most closely related words. Moreover, each of them can stand only in one pair. The phrase can be divided as follows:
“The old woman” and “who lives” , “there” , “went to the house” and “her daughter” , “Anna” .
Next, each pair should act as one. Simply put, one common word is selected:
- old woman is an old woman ;
- which lives - living ;
- to the house - there ;
- his daughter, Anna .
As a result, supply is reduced. The formed structure can be reduced further.
Transformational analysis
It was proposed by the adherents of the structural method N. Chomsky and Z. Harris. At first, transformational analysis was used in syntax.
When using this method, the fact being studied is replaced by the “marked” option, expressed in a form that has close significance. The alternative is meaningful, acceptable in terms of communication requirements. In this case, it is necessary to ensure standard replacements.
For example, the phrase “reading Dostoevsky” implies 2 transformations: “Dostoevsky reads” and “Dostoevsky reads”. The situation is similar with the combination of “meeting friends”. It can be transformed into "friends meet" and "friends meet."
The transformational method is based on the rules of transformation and redistribution of language elements. It is generally accepted that the technique is coupled with two principles: the formation of deep structures and their conversion to surface ones.
Opposition method
In modern interpretation, this technique was developed by adherents of the Prague School of Linguistics. At first it was applied to phonology, and later to morphology. The basis for the emergence of ideas about morphological oppositions was the work of N. S. Trubetskoy.
Representatives of the Prague school considered the unit of language at the morphological level a morpheme. It qualifies as a cluster of elementary oppositions (number, type, case, person, etc.). With different oppositions, the morpheme is divided into "semes" - elementary meanings. For example, the form of the verb “run” contains this number, which is revealed in the opposite “run” - “runs”, this person’s face - “run” - “run”, this time - “run-run” / “will run” and so Further.
Like phonological, morphological oppositions can be neutralized. For example, in Russian, inanimate nouns do not differ in the accusative and nominative case.
Component analysis
It is a method of studying the substantive aspect of the significant functions of the language system. A technique was developed within the framework of structural semantic analysis.
The component method of linguistic analysis is aimed at decomposing meanings into minimal semantic elements. This technique is considered one of the universal in linguistics. Linguistic scholars use it quite widely in scientific work.
One of the hypotheses of the method is the assumption that the value of each language unit (including words) contains a set of components. Using the technique allows you to:
- Define a limited set of components by which the meaning of a large number of words can be described.
- Show lexical material in the form of systems built on a specific semantic basis.
This method is advisable to apply in the process of identifying semantic universals, which must be taken into account during automatic translation. The reception is based on the idea of ​​the fundamental separability of the semantic content of each word. It allows you to analyze the lexical meaning in the form of a structural set of ordered elements of different semantic types.