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Formalism and functionalism in linguistics
Frederick J Newmeyer1,2,3
1Department of Linguistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Abstract:
Formalism and functionalism in linguistics are often taken to be diametrically opposed approaches. However, close examination of the relevant phenomena reveals that the two are complementary, rather than being irrevocably in opposition to each other. One can be a formal linguist and a functional linguist at the same time, without there being any contradiction. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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