Csilla Rákosi:
The ‘A over A principle’ and the argumentational structure of the standard theory of generative syntax (Part 1)
Abstract:
The paper puts forward a metatheoretical approach which is capable of reconstructing the argumentative techniques applied in linguistic theories. The main finding is that linguistic theories work in a way fundamentally different both from what the analytical philosophy of science and practicing linguists themselves assume, because they relevantly contain plausible inferences rather than deductive ones and they do not separate the stage of justification from the discovery process. These hypotheses will be supported with the help of a case study about the Standard Theory of Generative Syntax. The second part of the paper will be published in the next issue of the present journal.
