Form or Function\ulcorner

형식인가 기능인가\ulcorner

  • Published : 2002.12.01

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the contrastive nature of formalism and functionalism in linguistics. Though the mainstreams of linguistic analysis have been focused on the form and function, they have been challenged from each other's strong points. On the one hand, the formal description has been studied in the tradition of generative grammar. On the other hand, the functional nature has played a crucial role in the framework of language use. It seems undesirable to argue that there is one-sided bias toward any type of linguistic approach. I try to present a balanced view of these two contrastive approaches. We also argue that there should be a cooperative work in developing the mutual growth of linguistic theory.

Keywords