William Diver
Encyclopedia
William Diver was the founder of the Columbia School of Linguistics
, named after the university in New York where he taught linguistics from 1955 through 1989, and where he received his Ph.D. in comparative Indo-European linguistics. Although his background lay mainly in the linguistics of ancient languages, Diver’s approach to linguistics was uniquely modern and scientific. His lectures were sprinkled with references to the history and methodology of science. He believed that science is explanation, not description or prediction, and he compared the explanatory power
of the Copernican astronomical system with the explanatory weakness of the epicycles of the Ptolemaic system, both of which had equal descriptive and predictive power. He also believed that the purpose of language was chiefly communication, and his linguistic analyses reflected that orientation, along with that of human psychology and physiology. In other words, these orientations helped him to explain why languages take the forms they do.
During Diver’s career, most popular schools of linguistic thought tended towards pure formalism, based on traditional categories and entities, such as the parts of speech and the sentence. While these schools rejected prescriptivism
and the idealization of the standard language, Diver stood almost alone in rejecting traditional entities that had no specific function, such as the syllable and the mechanistic interpretation of “government” or “agreement
.” He analyzed language as a form of human behavior, rather than as an idealized expression of truth. See article on the Columbia School for more details and successful application of Diver’s methodology.
William Diver was born in Chicago and served in the Navy during World War II earning the Legion of Merit. He died aged 74 while on a sailing vacation in Nantucket. Some of his works are listed below.
Columbia School of Linguistics
The Columbia School of Linguistics is a group of linguists with a radically functional and empirical conception of language. According to their school of thought, the main function of language is communication. Columbia School linguistic analyses typically are based on observable data, such as...
, named after the university in New York where he taught linguistics from 1955 through 1989, and where he received his Ph.D. in comparative Indo-European linguistics. Although his background lay mainly in the linguistics of ancient languages, Diver’s approach to linguistics was uniquely modern and scientific. His lectures were sprinkled with references to the history and methodology of science. He believed that science is explanation, not description or prediction, and he compared the explanatory power
Explanatory power
Explanatory power is the ability of a theory to effectively explain the subject matter it pertains to. One theory is sometimes said to have more explanatory power than another theory about the same subject matter if it offers greater predictive power...
of the Copernican astronomical system with the explanatory weakness of the epicycles of the Ptolemaic system, both of which had equal descriptive and predictive power. He also believed that the purpose of language was chiefly communication, and his linguistic analyses reflected that orientation, along with that of human psychology and physiology. In other words, these orientations helped him to explain why languages take the forms they do.
During Diver’s career, most popular schools of linguistic thought tended towards pure formalism, based on traditional categories and entities, such as the parts of speech and the sentence. While these schools rejected prescriptivism
Linguistic prescription
In linguistics, prescription denotes normative practices on such aspects of language use as spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and syntax. It includes judgments on what usages are socially proper and politically correct...
and the idealization of the standard language, Diver stood almost alone in rejecting traditional entities that had no specific function, such as the syllable and the mechanistic interpretation of “government” or “agreement
Agreement (linguistics)
In languages, agreement or concord is a form of cross-reference between different parts of a sentence or phrase. Agreement happens when a word changes form depending on the other words to which it relates....
.” He analyzed language as a form of human behavior, rather than as an idealized expression of truth. See article on the Columbia School for more details and successful application of Diver’s methodology.
William Diver was born in Chicago and served in the Navy during World War II earning the Legion of Merit. He died aged 74 while on a sailing vacation in Nantucket. Some of his works are listed below.
Works
- "The system of relevance of the Homeric verb," Acta Linguistica Hafniensia 12, 45-68 (1969).
- "Substance and value in linguistic analysis," in Semiotext(e) 1, 13-30 (1974).
- "Phonology as human behavior," in D. Aaronson and R. Rieber (eds.) Psycholinguistic research: implications and applications. Hillsdale, N.Y.: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc., pp. 161–182 (1979).
- "Theory," in E. Contini-Morava and B. Goldberg (eds.) Meaning as explanation: Advances in sign-based linguistics. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter (1995).
External links
- : Obituary Columbia University Record—October 27, 1995
- http://www.csling.org/: Columbia School Linguistic Society