Abstract
The paper consists of two parts. Part 1 concerns the benefits of interdisciplinary research, and it concludes with a philosophical section in which the question is raised of what kinds of linguistic research can be seen as socially valid. In Part 2, I discuss my own recent research, which I consider socially relevant. It includes two major topics: (1) language and conflict, and (2) folk linguistics. Under the heading of ‘language and conflict’, I have investigated some of the ways language can contribute to both instigating and alleviating conflict. In my opinion, the way we view meaning, communication, and definitions is central to our understanding of and avoiding language-ridden conflict. As for ‘folk linguistics’, which concerns the layperson’s views of language, I have investigated the question of what the lay people see as the most important language-related problems. The paper concludes with a statement supporting research in the field of the humanities.
Highlights
The discussions of and disagreements about how useful/useless or socially relevant a study is may be taken up as a linguistic or philosophical question
Do and how useful to the society we are has been addressed within the academia itself and especially in political circles, in Norway and in other countries
Some critics are of the opinion that what we, the humanists, are concerned with in our teaching, research and publications is hardly useful and widely irrelevant to what the society at large needs
Summary
The discussions of and disagreements about how useful/useless or socially relevant a study is may be taken up as a linguistic or philosophical question. I have argued for a non-essentialist position on several occasions (see, for instance, Janicki 2006, 2010b) and I fully endorse it in connection with the discussion of what kind of research may be seen as useful or socially relevant.
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