linguistic analysis - Professor Binkert's Webpage - Oakland University

More than anything else, this text is designed to disabuse readers of the many misconceptions that
surround the study of language. These fallacies include, among other things, the idea that different
dialects, different cultural patterns, and even different languages reflect different levels of human
competence, as well as the prevalent idea that grammatical structure is haphazard and unjustifiable.
Although it may be difficult to believe at this point, the study of grammar can lead to provocative
and interesting ideas about the nature of human beings and the origin of cultural diversity.
Needless to say, one cannot attain such a high level of generality about language, or anything else,
without attention to detail. Therefore, in the following chapters, students will be introduced to some
of the technical vocabulary of linguistics. The aim is not to memorize facts per se, although mastery
of some details is essential before application can begin; rather, it is to show how rigorous
investigation can lead to meaningful generalizations. Lists of memorized facts rarely stay in people’s
minds for very long, but genuine comprehension of issues does. Moreover, such comprehension can
have a significant impact on one’s life. In this regard, this text aims to satisfy some of the major
objectives of general education, which include, among other things, helping students understand and
master basic techniques for the analysis and synthesis of ideas. Such techniques involve the ability
to gather, organize, and interpret data, to separate what is significant and interesting from what is
irrelevant and trivial, and to formulate hypotheses of real explanatory power. Effective thinking
occurs when one is able to uncover the essential nature of any given problem and to propose
reasonable solutions consistent with available resources.
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