LANGUE AND PAROLE IN AMERICAN LINGUISTICS.

THE PROBLEM OF THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE STRUCTURE IS CONSIDERED AND THE FORM WHICH ANY LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION SHOULD TAKE. THE AUTHOR EXAMINES THE INFLUENCE OF THE SWISS LINGUIST, FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE, ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN LINGUISTICS. THE QUESTION OF "MENTALISM" IN LINGUISTICS IS REDUCED TO THE PROBLEM OF WHETHER LINGUISTIC TREATMENT SHOULD BE CONCERNED ONLY WITH THE OBJECTIVE DATA (SPEECH UTTERANCES) OR WHETHER IT SHOULD BE CONCERNED ALSO WITH VARIOUS MENTAL PROCESSES. EDWARD SAPIR'S "MENTALISM" FORESHADOWED THE INTEREST IN THE MENTAL COMPONENT OF GRAMMAR WHICH CHARACTERIZES THE WORK OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LINGUISTS. CHOMSKY'S TRANSFORMATION THEORY IS VIEWED AS A RETURN, WITH MODIFICATIONS, TO THE BROADER CONCERN WITH "LANGUAGE" URGED BY DE SAUSSURE, AND PURSUED INDEPENDENTLY BY SAPIR. THIS ARTICLE IS PUBLISHED IN "FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE," VOLUME 1, 1965. (KL)