Linguistic Arguments Research Articles

More unites them than divides them: Thomas More and William Tyndale as translators of the Bible

The polemical controversy between Thomas More and William Tyndale over Tyndale's translation of the Bible is not only a key moment in English Reformation history but also in the incipient self-reflection of the English vernacular. As recent re-readings of the debate have demonstrated, and I have argued elsewhere, Tyndale's and More's linguistic arguments have in fact much more in common than they both admit, being equally grounded in the premises and methods of Erasmian philology. The present article complements these insights with an analysis from a more practical point of view, comparing More's own biblical translations interspersed throughout his English writings, and especially his Tower Works, with Tyndale's version, and exploring the common ground they share in their practical approach toward engrafting the most authoritative text in the Western tradition into the vernacular literary tradition of their time.

Features of the phonological lesson among the ancient ArabsSibawayh as a model

There is no doubt that the linguistic intellectual system created by Al-Khalil Al-Farahidi was not the only one of its kind, but rather it is considered the launch of the actual systems of linguistic studies at that time, as is the case with the modern linguistic launch that emerged with de Saussure in the West. It is obvious that every theory that emerged contained shortcomings, and those shortcomings provide the opportunity to build another theory, which was characterized by a set of linguistic ideas that were followed by the emergence of the Al-Khalil school and then the school of his student Sibawayh, who started from the data of his teacher, and he referred to that in his book "The Book". Before delving into his linguistic arguments, as Al-Jahiz called them, we stop at the phonetic study, especially with Sibawayh, and from here we must stop at his personal and scientific biography. Who is this linguist? What did he provide to complete this linguistic cognitive circle? I will answer these questions and others in this research according to the descriptive analytical method.

DACIA ȘI ROMA ÎN PREOCUPĂRILE UNOR CLERICI ORTODOCȘI ROMÂNI DIN PRIMA JUMĂTATE A SECOLULUI AL XIX-LEA

Dacia and Rome in the preoccupations of some Romanian Orthodox clergymen from the first half of the 19 th century. In some texts written by two Romanian Orthodox clerics, protosyncellus Naum Râmniceanu and Metropolitan Veniamin Costachi, one can identify dominant features of the Romanian national consciousness, cultivated in the specific circumstances that characterized the beginning of the “century of nationalities”. It is worth noting the authors' zeal and persistence in expressing their convictions, their determination in addressing as many readers and auditors as possible, and the increasingly welldocumented presentation of their own contributions (always prioritizing historical and linguistic argumentation). Both authors emphasized the noble Daco-Roman origins of the Romanians, which required present attitudes and expectations for the future to match the glory of past times. Moreover, this argumentation is to be found in most of the programs for the Romanian revival and unity, promoted by almost the entire Romanian political elite, with which the voice of churchmen was in consonance.

Argumentation in mathematics and science university textbooks: Similarities and differences in linguistic structures

Argumentation is a key skill in most school subjects and academic disciplines, including mathematics and science. It is possible that similarities and differences between how argumentation is expressed in different subjects can contribute to, or disrupt, students’ transferrable argumentation skills. The purpose of this study is therefore to increase the understanding of such similarities and differences concerning the use of argumentation in mathematics and science texts. To reach this goal, the study compares argumentation with a focus on argumentation markers and argumentative structures in first-semester university textbooks in mathematics, chemistry, and biology. Results show that common linguistic argumentation markers in mathematics and science textbooks include for example <i>because</i>, <i>if</i>, <i>thus</i>, <i>so,</i> and <i>therefore </i>and that there is significantly more argumentation in the mathematics textbook compared to the science textbooks. Further, the results indicate differences in patterns of how argumentation is used, including for example that the mathematics textbook contains more complex argumentation compared with the chemistry textbook. Thereby, the subject-specific languages in the disciplines have the potential to offer students different examples of argumentation.

Church Slavonic Version of Caesar Baronius Annales Ecclesiastici and Chudov Translations from the 17 th Century: Comparative Analysis of Vocabulary

The article presents linguistic arguments in favour of a following hypothesis: a Church Slavonic translation of Caesar Baronius Annales Ecclesiastici (from the Polish adaptation made by Piotr Skarga), preserved in a 1689 manuscript (being kept in RSL, f. 256, no. 15), belonged to Moscow Chudov Monastery translators. By comparing the language of the manuscript at the lexical level with the translations reliably attributed earlier, the author discovers several parameters common to this version of Annales and Chudov translations, particularly, the translation of Piotr Skarga The Word for Mercy sermon and the New Testament translation accomplished by Epiphaniy Slavinetskiy. The common features are as follows: the widespread use of composita (compounds) not supported by the Polish text; equally widespread use of verbs with the -stvo- formant; the choice of words of Greek origin as equivalents for lexical units of Slavic and German origin; elimination of Latin borrowings, familiarized in the Polish text, and their translation through Slavic derivatives. Among the lexical units, there are non-trivial formations not recorded in lexicographic editions. In each of the positions mentioned, one can observe free variability that complicates the overall picture and introduces the Church Slavonic version of Annales to the centuries-old tradition of the ancient Slavonic translated Christian literature.

Zheng He — Sinbad’s Prototype? (A Critique of a Popular Viewpoint)

In modern popular literature, blogs on the Internet and other media aimed at the mass reader one is more and more likely to find an assumption that the famous Chinese admiral of the Ming dynasty, Zheng He (1371—?), could be the prototype of the legendary Arab merchant and traveler Sinbad, whose seven fantastic voyages were subsequently included in the collection of folktales “One Thousand and One Nights”. This article analyzes the historical, textual and linguistic arguments for and against such a presumption from both the Chinese and Arab-Persian sides. The first part presents a general criticism of this hypothesis, after which the three main arguments of its supporters are examined separately. The author comes to the following conclusions: it is most likely that the cycle about Sinbad was formed much earlier than the expeditions of Zheng He on the basis of various myths and a self-sufficient Arab-Persian geographical and nautical tradition; the generally accepted statement that both personalities made seven voyages is in fact very controversial; Sanbao was the name given not only to Zheng He, but also to other officials at the Ming court, including those who were in no way connected with the expeditions to the Western Ocean, and the history of the appearance and use of this expression is very vague. Thus, the desire to see Zheng He as a source of inspiration for the creation of the character of Sinbad the Sailor seems groundless, and the arguments in its favor do not stand up to scientific criticism.

Explorations in Contemporary Analytic Metaphysics: Grounding, Modality, and the Nature of Reality

Analytic Metaphysics represents a recent evolution of one of the oldest philosophical disciplines, now redefined by the methods of analytic philosophy. This contemporary approach reformulates the traditional ontological questions about existence, reality, and the nature of the Universe, prioritizing rigorous logical analysis and language. Analytic metaphysics, contrasted with continental ontology or traditional metaphysics, has surpassed the popularity of classical metaphysics, establishing itself as the predominant metaphysical stream in philosophical thought. In this special issue of the Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia (Portuguese Journal of Philosophy), we reflect on the current dynamics of analytic metaphysics, emphasizing its continuity with the metaphysical tradition or on new perspectives and pivotal issues driving analytic ontology. Analytic metaphysics, as a contemporary branch of philosophical research, originated from the analytic tradition. This movement emerged in the early 20th century, driven by a desire for greater clarity and rigor in philosophical inquiry. Philosophers such as Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, and Ludwig Wittgenstein were pioneers of this movement, advocating a methodology based on precise linguistic argumentation and rigorous logical analysis. Despite the advancements promoted by analytic philosophy, this period was also marked by a profound crisis for metaphysics. Influenced by the rigidity and the spectrum of the new logical positivism, the philosophical community began to view metaphysics with increasing skepticism, often considering it speculative and devoid of any meaningful or empirical content. This view became dominant, dismissing traditional metaphysical questions as pseudo-questions, i.e., devoid of empirical content and therefore devoid of real meaning. However, this trend began to shift under the influence of figures such as W. Quine, who played a key role in revitalizing metaphysics within the analytic tradition, and is often considered the founder of the new “analytic metaphysics.” Notably, his challenge to the then analytic-synthetic distinction in his famous paper “Two Dogmas of Empiricism” had profound implications for logical positivism and the verification principle. Quine argued that there was no clear boundary between purely analytic propositions (known through understanding alone) and synthetic propositions (known through experience), thus breaking the dogmatic boundaries between conceptual analysis and empirical representation. This perspective opened the possibility of reappreciating ontological questions that had until then been marginalized.

Irregular sporadic sound change and East Polynesian origins: A response to Davletshin (2023)

The origins and timing of human settlement of East Polynesia are important questions for both academics and contemporary communities of that area. Linguistic innovations exclusively shared by East Polynesian languages with Northern Polynesian Outlier languages indicate that the East Polynesians originated late in prehistory from the Northern Polynesian Outliers, a proposal known as the Northern Outlier–East Polynesian (NO-EPn) hypothesis. In the December 2023 issue of this journal, a linguistic argument was made by Albert Davletshin that East Polynesia was settled from West Polynesia through the Southern Cook Islands. Key to Davletshin’s argument was a proposal for the existence of a theorised language spoken in the vicinity of Mangaia, from where certain Polynesian canoe plants were then transported to East Polynesian islands. Davletshin’s article argued against our December 2020 article in this journal, which had presented linguistic and botanical data relative to an East Polynesian origin of red-flowered hibiscus known as kaute (and cognates), and deriving its name from innovations proposed to have occurred in the Marquesas Islands. Our 2020 article was in alignment with the hypothesis of a Northern Outlier origin of East Polynesian languages. This response to Davletshin’s 2023 article documents examples of sporadic irregular sound change, the existence of which had been called into question.

Intuition, intonation, inconsistency, and innateness

Abstract Macaulay has performed a great service by pointing out unfounded leaps of logic in the syllable sections of descriptive grammars, but the auxiliary hypotheses that underlie such leaps require close scrutiny everywhere, including in his own argument: intuitions are more reliable than he claims, intonation is less reliable than he assumes, inconsistencies cannot be resolved by simply ignoring certain types of evidence, and innateness considerations qualify all linguistic argumentation.

When legal interpretation is not about language

Abstract Linguistic arguments are paramount in legal interpretation. They are widely used by judges and considered to be ubiquitous across jurisdictions. It is claimed that they are decisive and limitative in the judicial interpretation of the law. The claims have long been subject to theoretical scrutiny and, recently, testing within experimental jurisprudence. In this paper, we analyse the judicial reasoning in a landmark Italian case from the end of the nineteenth century concerning Lidia Poët, an aspiring practising female lawyer. The case was decided in the last instance by the Turin Court of Cassation. We give a detailed argumentative analysis of the reasoning of the Court of Cassation in Turin in the Lidia Poët case and show that the crucial linguistic and systematic arguments used are not grounds for the interpretative decision to exclude women from the denotation of the word “lawyer.” We conclude that the linguistic arguments employed by courts often do not do the argumentative work they are expected to do. Instead, they cover the substantial views that have determined the ascription of normative meaning to a term or sentence.

G. A. Dzagurov and the Japhetic theory of academician N. Ya. Marr: Commented re-edition of the text

The present work introduces to the annotated re-edition of an article written by the prominent Ossetian scientist, folklorist and teacher Grigory Alekseevich Dzagurov (1888–1979), which was published in 1924 under the title “The Japhetic Theory of Academician N. Ya. Marr and the Question of the Origin of the Ossetians”. The text, reproduced in a new annotated version with identification of the sources used by the author, introduces to the new linguistic theory promoted by Academician N. Ya. Marr (1864–1934), postulating the relationship between Hamito-Semitic and Kartvelian languages as well as the idea of linguistic mixing and crossing. By deliberately overusing direct quotations from the works of the creator of Japhetic linguistics, Dzagurov gives a brief overview of the main provisions of Marr’s linguistic theory, showing its direct relation to the question of the dual nature, Indo-European (Iranian) and Japhetic, of Ossetic. At that time, as is well known, linguistic arguments were readily provided when discussing thorny questions about the ethnogenesis of peoples. Overall, Dzagurov’s article has historical significance in many respects. Firstly, it testifies to the reception of the Japhetic stage of Marr’s linguistic theory (that is, before the emergence of the New Doctrine of Language) with respect to the study of the Iranian linguistic world in the Northern Caucasus. Secondly, such ideas about the phenomena of the Caucasian substrate and language mixing were skillfully developed over the following decades by one of the best students of Marr, V. A. Abaev (1900–2001), who identified numerous Caucasian elements in the Ossetian language at all language levels. Finally, it is interesting to notice that it was Dzagurov who gave a recommendation on Abaev’s application for admission to the Petrograd State University, thus indirectly contributing to the onset of an important stage in the history of Ossetian studies and, in general, Soviet linguistics.

Аргументация в актах Суда Евразийского экономического союза

Legal argumentation plays a key role in ensuring the effectiveness and relevance of case law. In an integration union the effect of a judicial act on its application by Member States and union bodies depends on the argumentation’s depth and persuasiveness. This is especially important for the Eurasian Economic Union Court’s advisory opinions, which, contrary to its judgments, only possess res interpretata. An overview of the EAEU Court’s case law demonstrates that in its judgments and advisory opinions the EAEU Court primarily uses common methods of argumentation derived from traditional methods of interpretation. It relies essentially on linguistic and systemic arguments, with little use of teleological arguments, argumentum a contrario, or effet utile. These linguistic arguments often form the rationale in support of legal positions that other integration courts formulate exclusively using arguments based on the aims of the founding treaty or the useful effect of the legal norm. The EAEU Court’s case law contains several examples of legal comparativism, which serve as predicates for the formulation of concepts that did not exist in EAEU law. This type of argumentation allows the establishment of autonomous legal notions, applicable exclusively in the process of interpretation of integration law. The study also shows instances of legal argumentation based on norms and principles of international law. In the early stages of its functioning the EAEU Court had a propensity for using argumentation based on judicial dialogue, with numerous references to the acts of other integration courts. An analysis of the EAEU Court’s judgments and advisory opinions allows the author to conclude that, with the accumulation of its case law, the EAEU Court focused more on its own legal findings, leading to an increased used of precedents. The role of precedent as a source for legal argumentation of the EAEU Court’s acts lies in the fact that it is aimed not only at strengthening the legal reasoning of the judgment in a specific case, but also at formulating the content of a legal norm which, in the Court’s interpretation, might become an instrument for solving future cases. Precedent ensures the consistency and predictability of case law as well as its continuity. Departure from precedent necessitates a detailed explanation which can take the form of reference to different factual circumstances or of elaboration of a new line of reasoning.

“Ab Hoc Dispersione Nomen Rossicum”: G. S. Bayer’s Etymological Quest in the Context of the Scholarly Tradition

This article examines the ideas on the origin of the name Rus (Russian: русь) formulated by Gottlieb Siegfried Bayer (1694–1738), a professor at the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Bayer expressed his observations in an unfinished Latin text published after his death in the journal of the Academy. Using this publication, which has never been translated into Russian, the authors of the article examine Bayer’s critical comments and objections to various versions of the origin of the name Rus. Bayer’s text is a kind of catalogue of hypotheses that existed in the academic world in the first half of the eighteenth century. From the point of view of modern scholarship, all of them can be regarded as naive folk etymologies or legends (for example, the creation of the name Rus from the ancient name of a river, its comparison with the biblical people of Rosch, or the appeal to the legend of the brothers Lech, Czech and Rus, etc.). These versions are subjected to a fair and ironic criticism by Bayer. Based on new research on ideas of ethnic nomination, the authors place the versions in the context of discussions in historical writings of the sixteenth–eighteenth centuries. The results of the analysis of Bayer’s arguments show that he often makes very good use of his knowledge of ancient and modern languages and of the historical context to criticise other people’s versions. The article also examines in detail the etymology to which Bayer himself adheres. According to Bayer, the name of the Russian people comes from the Slavic word рассеяние (“dispersion”). This etymology was proposed in the sixteenth century by the Austrian diplomat Siegmund von Herberstein and supported by some Polish and German scholars. The authors show that Bayer finds additional historical and linguistic arguments for this hypothesis, which, of course, do not withstand the criticism of contemporary scholarship. The article notes the influence of Bayer’s hypothesis on the ideas of G. F. Mьller. The authors suppose that a certain forgetfulness of Bayer’s hypothesis is due to the fact that it contradicts his reputation as a “Normanist”.

PEMBACAAN DEKONSTRUKTIF ATAS RELASI AL-QUR’AN DAN BUDAYA

Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd and Aksin Wijaya argued that the textuality of the Qur'an in the sense that the Qur'an, like other texts, cannot be separated from the cultural situation in which it was revealed. Just as the text certainly contains cultural content, the Qur'an also contains Arab cultural content from the 7th century AD. This idea triggers pro and contra responses, but it is rare – if not to say not – to find an accurate critical response. Researchers who support this do not balance their appreciation with criticism. On the other hand, researchers who reject this idea submit inaccurate responses, because they use a theological approach, even though the argument of these two thinkers have a philosophical-linguistic nuance. This article aims to fill the gap in accurate criticism of the idea of the textuality of the Qur'an. This article criticizes the thinking of the two figures in advance with the same knife, namely the philosophy of language. We will use Derrida's deconstruction as a critical knife for both of their thoughts. Therefore, this article has two problem formulations as an agenda. First, what do the two figures above think about Qur'an? Second, what is the ambiguous point in their thinking regarding the Qur'an? This article will culminate in two conclusion. First, recognize quasi-objectively their thinking by basing understanding on the philosophical linguistic arguments they offer. Second, philosophically emphasizing that Arab culture has not infiltrated the Qur'an.

Самодийские языки и предыстория Западной Сибири (заметки на полях диссертации А. Ю. Урманчиевой)

The author examines the problems of the ancient ethnic history of Western Siberia, focusing on the history of internal and external relations of Samoyed languages considered in the dissertation “Reconstruction of the linguistic landscape of Western Siberia (based on the materials of Samoyed languages)” recently defended by A. Y. Urmanchieva. The study of the languages and prehistory of Western Siberia requires a new generalization of the materials accumulated over the last 20–30 years and therefore the dissertation looks timely. The linguistic argumentation and conclusions of the dissertation are very thorough, as a rule acceptable, and can provide a basis for such a generalization. However, numerous etymologies proposed in the dissertation should be critically assessed, with corrections, new interpretations, and approaches to be offered. In particular, more attention should be paid to the external relations of Samoyed languages with Ugrian and Yenisei languages. The prehistorical interpretation of linguistic data in the dissertation seems questionable, raising concerns about the actual meaning of the Stammbaum scheme, the need to take into account divergent, convergent, and contact language processes, the role of groups without living daughter languages in prehistory, the importance of geographical and typological coverage, and the inclusion of data from early written sources, archaeology, and other disciplines for better understanding ancient ethno-linguistic processes.

Amulo, the Adulterata and Bodo

Amulo, one of the earliest western witnesses for the Toledot Yeshu, uses ‘adulterata’ to describe the mother of Jesus. Some scholars have claimed that the word ‘adulterata’ implies that she was raped either by force or by deception. Forcible rape is questionable based on a linguistic argument: Latin usage of ‘adultero’, both classical and Christian, normally refers to a woman with the accusative case or the passive voice and distinguishes clearly between adultery and violent rape. It is possible that narratives such as the one about Jesus’ mother played a role in the conversion of the palace deacon Bodo to Judaism.

Persuasion Mechanisms in Bilqis Story in Surat An-Naml

Linguistic Argumentation Theory offers new conceptions of meaning. It is one of the novel semantic theories that seek to uncover the logic of language: the internal rules of discourse governing the order of words and their gradual sequence. Relying on this theory, the present paper highlights the argumentative aspects and their persuasive mechanisms in the feminist argumentation found in Bilqis’s speech. It sheds light on the objectives of this argumentation, the contexts in which it occurs, and what distinguishes it from other types of argumentation. The paper paid attention to the argumentative discourse used by Bilqis and attempted to deconstruct the argumentative structures it is made up of. It highlighted some of her personal qualities, namely reason and good governance. It observed a shift in discourse levels. While Bilqis was the one directing the discourse, especially in the first section when she was the Queen, she seemed to be the weakest link in the second section; her speech was characterized by gentleness and leniency.

There are no epistemic norms of inquiry

Epistemic nihilism for inquiry is the claim that there are no epistemic norms of inquiry. Epistemic nihilism was once the received stance towards inquiry, and I argue that it should be taken seriously again. My argument is that the same considerations which led us away from epistemic nihilism in the case of belief not only cannot refute epistemic nihilism for inquiry, but in fact may well support it. These include the argument from non-existence that there are no non-epistemic reasons for belief; the linguistic argument that epistemic norms of belief are needed to capture the semantics of ordinary epistemic talk; and the argument from theoretical roles that epistemic norms are needed to play key theoretical roles for rational belief. I conclude by sketching an alternative Gibbardian picture on which norms of inquiry are all-things-considered norms governing action.

Religious difference, colonial politics, and Grierson’s Linguistic Survey of India

ABSTRACT Grierson’s Linguistic Survey of India (1903–1928) is one of the most complete sources on South Asian languages. It has influenced all subsequent studies of the language situation in India. However, there are indications in the Survey’s volumes, in its unpublished files, and in Grierson’s correspondence, that extra-linguistic considerations affected his approach to some Indian languages. Drawing on these sources, this essay focuses on Panjabi, Siraiki, Assamese, and Hindi-Urdu. It shows how factors stemming from Grierson’s views on religious difference and on language as a basis for nationality, as well as colonial politics of governance, may have influenced his characterisations of these languages. However, this does not invalidate the Survey, which is not straightforwardly ‘colonial’. Moreover, each of these languages is also described using linguistic argumentation, as reflected in the LSI’s skeletal grammars and its focus on dialectal variation. As such, we have to work with this tension in the LSI, without trying to resolve it either by rejecting the Survey in toto because of the instances of politics affecting its analyses, or by accepting it wholesale while ignoring the extra-linguistic considerations which influenced how it characterised some Indian languages.

Rowing in the Breca Episode from a Narrative Perspective

Rowing in the Breca Episode from a Narrative Perspective