Re: THEORY: Ergativity and polypersonalism

Isaac wrote:
> Joerg wrote:
> > Ah, Klimov's contentive typology! ... If you ask me, it's all rubbish.
>
> That is why I keep on asking forgiveness of my ignorance in typology studies,
> even though I'm a professional philologist. For example, I heard about split-S
> etc. only here at this List. Our linguistic education was still profiled by
> Stalin's "Marxism and Linguistic Issues". Surely, since 1970s there were
> some changes, but typology studies were still smth suspective, bourgeois...
> That is why Klimov seemed revolutionary. I suspect Dr. Tyshchenko's lectures
> on typology at General Linguistics classes in Kiev Uni in 1989 that I heard,
> were quite in line with Klimov's stadial theory.
I would have to partially disagree with Joerg's strong opinion on
Klimov.  Yes, his stadialist theory is accepted by virtually no one
nowadays, for good reason.  But as a scholar, few have ever achieved
his level of insight into cross-linguistic generalizations.  It is
not an accident that indisputably great typologists like Johanna
Nichols still cite his work, even when disagreeing with some
conclusions.  His works focusing on the Caucasus are also of great
value.

> I don't want to offend anybody, but some "Western" ideas in linguistics still
> strike me as odd, if not rubbish... Not in this case, of course.
Well, it may please you to learn that "Western" ideas in linguistics
strike some Westerners as odd, if not rubbish, too.  I would disagree
with Chris to some extent, though:  Chomsky is not just quackery.  His
work on the properties of formal languages in the 1960s is widely
recognized for the achievement it is far beyond the cult-following
he has surrounded himself with.  And his writings on the philosophy
of language, too, rank with Wittgenstein and other 20th century
greats.  It's just mostly in the particulars of the various rescensions
of his theories that true quackery lies.  (See, e.g., Peter Seuren's
new book _Chomsky's Minimalism_ for extended critical discussion of
this.)

 =========================================================================
Thomas Wier	       "I find it useful to meet my subjects personally,
Dept. of Linguistics    because our secret police don't get it right
University of Chicago   half the time." -- octogenarian Sheikh Zayed of
1010 E. 59th Street     Abu Dhabi, to a French reporter.
Chicago, IL 60637