Why does it matter?

[linguadharma]

A very astute friend of mine, who's applying to graduate school in another field, asked me a very important question about linguistics that I've found very difficult to answer: "Why does it matter?" 

As I'm applying for graduate programs to start this fall (in phonetics/phonology and historical linguistics, with an eye towards endangered languages and possibly Tibeto-Burman languages), I've been noticing just how relevant this question is for choosing a graduate program. We often get caught up in our own little topics and just following our interests that we neglect this bigger picture.

 

Some answers I've come up with include:
- Pure science as its own good, curiosity, etc

- Language is a lens through which to learn about how big and diverse our world is, and how arbitrary our national affiliations are
- Possible applications for communities with endangered languages
- Applications in technology and education... though not so much with the kinds of research I'm headed towards

 

Corollary to these, though, are some additional obligations. The first two require that linguists actively work to popularize the findings of our discipline among non-linguists, and the third requires that at least some of the materials we produce about endangered languages actually benefit those communities. 

So for you, why does linguistics matter?

 

[hoviariel]

 

Some answers I've come up with include:

- Pure science as its own good, curiosity, etc

- Language is a lens through which to learn about how big and diverse our world is, and how arbitrary our national affiliations are

- Possible applications for communities with endangered languages

- Applications in technology and education... though not so much with the kinds of research I'm headed towards

 

Corollary to these, though, are some additional obligations. The first two require that linguists actively work to popularize the findings of our discipline among non-linguists, and the third requires that at least some of the materials we produce about endangered languages actually benefit those communities. 

 

 

Actually the first two don't matter to non-linguistics. There may be an aim to render basic findings to the public through popular science formats. And off course our scientific information would be freely available to the public, but the target audience for research are other researchers so that the information could grow and grow. It's the same as any other scientific field: the target is not to get our information popular for the average public Joe but for the average student in our field.

As for applications, they can't be predicted that easily for any type of research. Sure, the work that an anthrop ling does may lead to formulation of a robust methodology to revive endangered language communities. And a comp linguistic could further development in natural language processing based on his other his peers' work.

In my case, I guess it's because 

A) I want it

Seriously, I want it

C) I enjoy the research process 

D) Linguistics in relatively interdiscplinary field and it was rather easy for me to find my niche here

[linguotherobot]

I am a psycho-and neurolinguist (or trying to be) and, in spite of being interested in it from a theoretical point of view, I have seen a better understanding of language processing and representations applied to education (especially, to learning writing processes), and even to langauge rehabilitation within aphasic population. And the work that is made in a interdisciplinary way (with

neurosciences, physics, and so on) is hopefully based in good and comprehensive linguistic theory. I would believe the same happens with computational linguistics and NLP, and the applications that can be developed in those areas.

 

So... I guess it does matter!

Edited February 14, 2014 by linguotherobot

[lavalamp]

I've been trying to explain this to my parents for quite some time- and since I'm primarily interested in syntax and semantics, with little interest in applied linguistics, it has not been an easy task. 

 

I think that the closest I've come to explaining it is that language is not only something that every single person in the world cares about and has opinions on (just ask a group of people at a party how they feel about twerk being in the dictionary) AND something that every human uses nearly every day BUT, I think more importantly, has a structure that's hidden from the majority of its users. Until you start to learn about linguistics, you have no idea that there is motivation behind how your brain allows you to construct your own language. You have no idea that those weird neologisms and derivations have rules and histories behind them. You have no idea why colorless green ideas can sleep furiously but you can't tell me what that means.

 

Linguistics is an interesting science because, when it comes to grammaticality judgments, we already have all of the data at our fingertips (literally if you study sign language!...sorry I couldn't resist). And yet the fact that there are still so many questions is a testament to what a perfectly tempting puzzle language is. And that clearly matters to some people. 

[lzs]

Well, why does anything matter? Even if you're a medical doctor you could say, "Why does it matter if I save people's lives, since they're all going to die eventually anyway?" If the entire human race went extinct, how much would it affect the rest of the universe? For most of the universe, probably not that much. How about, if we (linguists) don't demand that non-linguists find linguistics as interesting as we find it, non-linguists don't ask linguists to justify ourselves and our interests? Unless you're writing a grant, of course! Then justification is necessary.

In a more cooperative vein, though, I would say that linguistics is bound up with social justice and equality. Linguistics matters because the linguistic ignorance of people in the educational system is part of why some students are unfairly disadvantaged. If you care about eradicating racism, you cannot ignore both the systemic and individual biases that harm AA(V)E speakers. Linguistics tells (or would tell, if linguists had better PR) black kids, "The way you and your family talk is not wrong or broken or lazy. It is just as rule-governed and complex and intricate and interesting as any other variety of English or any other language. And your mastery of it is just as impressive and mysterious and honestly kind of miraculous as any rich white Eton kid speaking RP."

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

It probably doesn't. 

[Omnium]

My experience is that ones who ask you that question often don't listen to you no matter how good of a justification for the field you have. Yet, I think it's a good question for yourself to think about as you seem to want to say what you're pursuing really counts. Putting applied linguistics aside and speaking of theoretical linguistics only, I think you might want to decide whether linguistics for you is a formal science like math, or it is a natural science that would eventually tell us about, for example, how our brain works. Then there might be rational ways to defend yourself as to why it is important to conceive of linguistics as the field that matters.

Edited February 22, 2014 by Omnium

[onzeheures30]

I don't know (nor do I care) why it matters (if at all). I just like the process.

[hoviariel]

I don't know (nor do I care) why it matters (if at all). I just like the process.

You can't beat that.

[longforit]

Heard a linguistics grad student working on SLA saying that sociolinguistics is "useless" and "boring" and theoretical linguistics are not "credible".. Guess even among "linguists" there would be different views on why does it matter and what matters more and what less (it's true though people working in some areas would have "opinions" on another area. But I personally just prefer to respect the diversity and in fact think such diversity is one of the things that make this field so attractive.)

Edited March 25, 2014 by longforit

[fuzzylogician]

I like this post by Robyn M. Orfitelli, written in response to the FIRST Act, which has been causing a lot of distress to many linguists recently (read more about that here). She gives some good answers to "what is linguistics?" and "why should you care?".