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On Ronald Langacker’s Semanticocentrism / Sobre o semanticocentrismo de Ronald Langacker
Abstract
Abstract: Ray Jackendoff understands that Noam Chomsky’s linguistic models distort the nature of language due to its ‘syntactocentrism.’ Coined by Jackendoff, this term means Chomsky’s assumption that the syntactic component of language is central while the phonological and semantic components are merely interpretive. Jackendoff also states that since the 1970s many researchers have made a mistake opposite to Chomsky’s, by denying that syntax has a relevant role in grammar. Considering such a scenario, this paper analyzes Ronald Langacker’s cognitive grammar, in which syntax is replaced by semantics as the central linguistic component. The goal is to show how Langacker misrepresented language structure by doing so.
Resumo: Ray Jackendoff entende que os modelos linguísticos de Noam Chomsky distorcem a natureza da linguagem devido ao seu “sintactocentrismo”. Cunhado por Jackendoff, este termo significa a suposição de Chomsky de que o componente sintático da linguagem é central, enquanto os componentes fonológicos e semânticos são meramente interpretativos. Jackendoff também afirma que, desde a década de 1970, muitos pesquisadores cometeram um erro oposto ao de Chomsky, negando que a sintaxe tenha um papel relevante na gramática. Considerando tal cenário, este artigo analisa a gramática cognitiva de Ronald Langacker, na qual a sintaxe é substituída pela semântica como componente linguístico central. O objetivo é mostrar como Langacker deturpou a estrutura da linguagem ao fazê-lo.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17851/2237-2083.32.1.312-336
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