[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fotTYZDH-10Ne7dYsCbWamPBbEBCOGpF3SiWWOcWcai8":3,"$fOUfLze3zoCx-_11v9sImKO3zADenAd14CA7BK1m_R2Q":16},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},62781,"Randy Allen Harris","R",7,null,"randy-allen-harris",[12],{"tag_id":13,"tag_name":14,"tag_count":15},1134,"linguistics",5,{"quotes":17,"pagination":97},[18,26,49,58,67,76,88],{"id":19,"quote_text":20,"author_id":5,"source_id":21,"has_image":22,"author":23,"source":24,"quote_tag":25,"commentary":9},3362790,"Noam Chomsky, in particular, says flatly and often that he has very little concern for language in and of itself; never has, never will. His driving concern is with mental structure, and language is the most revealing tool he has for getting at the mind. Most linguists these days follow Chomsky’s lead here.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":27,"quote_text":28,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":22,"author":30,"source":31,"quote_tag":32,"commentary":48},523524,"Astronomy is not the science of all objects with mass and weight and velocity. The objects it describes do not include '56 Chevies. Biology is not the science of all objects that consume and excrete and have inherited characteristics. The objects it describes do not include '56 Chevies. Linguistics is not the study of all possible symbols or symbol systems. The objects it describes do not include '56 Chevies.",2,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[33,38,43],{"id":34,"tag":35},2883608,{"id":36,"tag_name":37},270,"philosophy",{"id":39,"tag":40},2883609,{"id":41,"tag_name":42},352,"science",{"id":44,"tag":45},2883607,{"id":46,"tag_name":47},2474,"language","**The Backstory**\nRandy Allen Harris, a renowned American scholar of linguistics, likely penned this quote in the context of his work on the boundaries and definitions of various scientific disciplines. As a historian, I'd place this quote within the realm of Harris's scholarly pursuits in the 1980s, a time when he was actively engaging with the nature of language and its relationship to the world. This quote is likely from Harris's book \"The Linguistics Wars,\" where he critiques the tendency to blur disciplinary lines and instead advocates for clear definitions.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe counter-intuitive truth in this quote lies in its subtle yet powerful assertion that each discipline, by its very nature, is defined by what it excludes, not what it includes. Harris is pointing out that the boundaries of a scientific field are not merely about the objects or phenomena it studies, but also about the deliberate choices to exclude others, such as the '56 Chevies, which are irrelevant to the scientific inquiry at hand. This tension between inclusion and exclusion highlights the fundamental importance of disciplinary boundaries in maintaining the integrity and coherence of scientific inquiry.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset in your own work, consider the value of deliberate exclusion in defining the scope of your project or field of study. By explicitly acknowledging what you're choosing to leave out, you can clarify the focus of your inquiry and ensure that your work remains true to its core principles and objectives. This strategy can help you maintain a clear sense of direction and avoid the dilution of your ideas by unnecessary or tangential elements.",{"id":50,"quote_text":51,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":22,"author":52,"source":53,"quote_tag":54,"commentary":9},403171,"Nor does linguistics need the nominal blessing of science. It is some sort of systematic, truth-seeking, knowledge-making enterprise, and as long as it brings home the epistemic bacon by turning up results about language, the label isn't terribly important. Etymology is helpful in this regard: science is a descendant of a Latin word for knowledge, and it is only the knowledge that matters.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[55],{"id":56,"tag":57},2342892,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":59,"quote_text":60,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":22,"author":61,"source":62,"quote_tag":63,"commentary":9},403170,"Moving in the conventional direction, phonetics concerns the acoustic dimensions of linguistic sound. Phonology studies the clustering of those acoustic properties into significant cues. Morphology studies the clustering of those cues into meaningful units. Syntax studies the arrangement of those meaningful units into expressive sequences. Semantics studies the composite meaning of those sequences.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[64],{"id":65,"tag":66},2342891,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":68,"quote_text":69,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":22,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":9},403169,"Sound is the hard currency; meaning is the network of cultural and formal conventions that turns it into a stick of gum at thecandy store.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[73],{"id":74,"tag":75},2342890,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":77,"quote_text":78,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":22,"author":79,"source":80,"quote_tag":81,"commentary":9},403142,"Language was just that thing that happened when you opened your mouth at the table, squeezed a few noises out of your vocal chords, and induced Socrates thereby to pass the salt.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[82,85],{"id":83,"tag":84},2342786,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":86,"tag":87},2342785,{"id":46,"tag_name":47},{"id":89,"quote_text":90,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":22,"author":91,"source":92,"quote_tag":93,"commentary":9},403137,"Noam Chomsky, in particular, says flatly and often that he has very little concern for language in and of itself; never has, never will. His driving concern is with mental structure, and language is the most revealing tool he has for getting at the mind. Most linguists these days follow Chomsky's lead here.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[94],{"id":95,"tag":96},2342762,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"currentPage":98,"totalPages":98,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":99},1,10]