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Interesting take. I would say that the field is actually less dogmatic than it's ever been. Chomsky's personal influence is waning, and as the prestige of pure
by foldr 6y ago
Interesting take. I would say that the field is actually less dogmatic than it's ever been. Chomsky's personal influence is waning, and as the prestige of pure generative linguistics fades, younger researchers are having to broaden out their research programs to stay competitive.
- ribit 6y agoMaybe you are right. What I am reporting here are the impressions from my early PhD around 10 years ago when I was still actively participating in conferences and workshops on generative grammar. Most contributions I have seen were along the lines of "I am trying to apply the minimalist program to this endangered language X and it doesn't work directly, but if I make the system more powerful, I can fit my examples in!" — and I just didn't see this approach leading us anywhere... I hope that you are right and that the field is evolving to everyone's benefit. We need different smart people with different opinions and believes to drive the science forward.