| Summary: | The article "Modern Linguistics and the Quest for a Scientific Model" examines the influence of advanced natural sciences on linguistic theory, particularly how linguistics has sought to align itself with these disciplines. It evaluates the efforts of prominent linguists such as Ferdinand de Saussure, Leonard Bloomfield, and Noam Chomsky to adopt an axiomatic-deductive approach to language study, highlighting the challenges and limitations of this endeavor. The paper critiques the tendency to equate Chomskyan linguistics with the rigor of theoretical physics, arguing that such comparisons often overlook fundamental differences between linguistic and physical theories. Ultimately, it warns against overselling linguistics as a natural science, emphasizing the unique complexities inherent in the study of language.
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