ABSTRACT
Seventeenth century branch of philosophy based on the philosophies of R.Descartes and G.W. Leibniz, which admits reason as the sole source of human knowledge. N.Chomsky sees so-called ‘Cartesian linguistics’ as continuing the tradition of rationalism, especially in reference to (a) the concept of ‘innate ideas,’ (b) the idea of language as a specifically human activity, (c) the emphasis on the creative aspect of language use, and (d) the distinction between outer and inner forms of language (i.e. between surface structure and deep structure). ( also mentalism, Port Royal grammar)
References
mentalism, transformational grammar
Analytic-synthetic process in which (a series of) written signs is converted through interpretation into information. This sensual reconstruction is a complex neurophysiological process ( neurolinguistics) in which the optic-perceptive and articulatory components function more or less simultaneously with the perception of
mutually influence each other through a process of feedback (see Pirozzolo & Wittrock 1981). The process of reading is supported by the probability structure of language and writing ( Zipf’s law) as well as by redundancy on all descriptive levels. Such redundancies may include the aesthetic characteristics of the form of written symbols, morphological redundancy (e.g. the grammatical redundancy in Span. los libros nuevos), or valence relationships on the level of syntax. ( also language comprehension)
References
Barnett, M.A. 1989. More than meets the eye:foreign language reading theory and practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
