Simplicity and complexity in languages: changing views

Conferenza del prof. John E. Joseph dell'Università di Edimburgo
nell'ambito del corso di Terminologia e linguaggi specialistici a Mediazione (CdL L-12, docente Maria Laura Pierucci)

A central question in linguistics has long been how to deal with the fact that some language structures, indeed some entire languages, seem more complex than others. This question is directly implicated in conceptions of the origin and evolution of language, and in areas ranging from phonological and syntactic analysis to language acquisition and psycholinguistics, various aspects of applied linguistics including language policy, language teaching and translation. I shall be tracing how the various conflicting views about language simplicity and complexity have developed over the centuries and where they stand today.