Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The papers reflect on "visions" and "revisions" of selected theoretical and applied linguistic issues. Methodologically, they all reflect and contribute to the polarization between form- and substance-oriented approaches that are typically identified with, respectively, structural and functional paradigms. The diversity of standpoints exemplified and the divergence of operational tools employed make the volume a representative spectrum of the on-going developments in how language is conceptualized and analyzed as both an abstract entity and as a medium of communication, language teaching and learning included. For this reason, the readers will find as much of structural considerations as of functional reflections and practical applications.
Synopsis
Each paper is either a vision or a revision of some selected issue in theoretical and applied linguistics. Taking a structural and/or functional orientation in their analyses, the authors contribute to the on-going polarization between generatively- and cognitively-oriented linguistic paradigms.