The idea of lingual economy

Abstract

A number of philosophical concepts in linguistics may be conceptualised as primitives or founding concepts. Many of these are historically significant; cf. the concepts lingual system; lingual position and sequence, lingual constancy. Less obvious primitives are ideas of spheres of discourse, text type and acceptability. Generally, such foundational notions may be characterised either as constitutive concepts or as regulative ideas. This article will discuss one such regulative linguistic idea, viz. lingual economy, especially as this was articulated in the work of the ethnomethodologists on turntaking. Like many other linguistic primitives, this idea constitutes a significant advance in our understanding of things lingual. The analyses referred to below give insight into the normative dimensions of our communicative ability to function as lingual subjects within the material lingual sphere of conversation. These analyses constitute an advance on earlier analyses of conversation, where the overall impression is that it is “random”, forever edging towards indeterminacy and chaos. We may currently build upon the remarkable explanations, first given by ethnomethodology, for lingual distribution, equality, lingually scarce resource, and so forth. The article will argue that these relate to significant regulative ideas that disclose the structure of the lingual dimension of reality.

’n Aantal filosofiese begrippe in die taalkunde kan gekonseptualiseer word as “primitiewe” of grondbegrippe. Sulke begrippe is gewoonlik histories betekenisvol: vergelyk die konsepte linguale sisteem, posisie en konstantheid, asook die linguale idees van diskoerstipe, tekstipe en aanvaarbaarheid. Ons kan sulke nosies as konstitutiewe begrippe of regulatiewe idees beskou. Hierdie artikel handel oor die regulatiewe idee van linguale ekonomie, en die hantering daarvan in die werk van die etnometodoloë oor beurtwisseling. Soos in die geval van ander linguistiese primitiewe, dra hierdie idee betekenisvol by tot ons begrip van die linguale. Die artikel verwys na analises wat insig gee in die normatiewe dimensies van ons kommunikatiewe vermoë om as linguale subjekte op te tree in die sfeer van gesprekvoering. Hierdie analises neem ons veel verder as vroeëre analises wat geïmpliseer het dat gesprekke deur hulle lukraak koers gekenmerk word, en altyd maar op die rand van chaos beweeg. Hulle maak dit moontlik om voort te bou op die merkwaardige verklarings van onder andere linguale distribusie, gelykheid en skaarste waarvoor die etnometodoloë ons oë oopgemaak het. Die artikel argumenteer dat hierdie regulatiewe linguistiese idees die struktuur van die linguale aspek van die werklikheid betekenisvol vir ons ontsluit.