The European linguistic tradition as compared to other traditions

Abstract

T he modem teaching of language as a cultural and social phenomenon goes back directly to the European linguistic tradition. This tradition was finally shaped in the Hellenistic era in the city of Alexandria. However, other traditions have formed at different times in the world. Among them the Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, which share many common features. With the exception of the European linguistic tradition, they all had a common starting point. According to it, the «real» language has always been one (the idea of comparing languages has not been developed). This language does not change, although it can be corrupted. Its study is necessary for practical needs, in the first instance, to establish the norms. For a long time, the European tradition was not the most developed. In comparison, Indian and Arabic phonetics were much more detailed. Besides, in the European tradition there were there no complete dictionaries. The grammar dealt with only one category, i.e. the word. However, starting from 13 th to 18 th cent., the linguistic tradition in Europe underwent three major radical changes. In the 13 th -14 th centuries the modistae school began to compose philosophical grammars that did not aim any practical needs. In the 16 th - 17 th cent., was developed the idea of the multiplicity of languages and subsequently the possibility of comparing between them. In the 13 th cent., was developed a notion of historicism appeared. All this led to the fact that the European linguistic tradition from the beginning of the 19 th cent. became world-wide acknowledged.