Introduction published In: Evolution and Revolution in Language and Linguistics
Edited by Janine Berns, Marie Steffens and Esther Baiwir
[Nota Bene 1:1] 2024
► pp. 3–13
Introduction
Evolution and revolution in language and linguistics
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.
For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.
Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with Radboud University Nijmegen.
Published online: 26 November 2024
https://doi.org/10.1075/nb.00002.ber
https://doi.org/10.1075/nb.00002.ber
Abstract
The first issue of Nota BeNe explores the phenomena of evolution and revolution in language
science and in language use. Linguistics has evolved over time, making it the versatile discipline it is today, and the field
should continue to remain open to new perspectives and critically consider old habits and new approaches. Revolution, peaceful or
violent, may emerge when it comes to questions of language, power and identity. The four thematic contributions in this volume
discuss questions of evolution and revolution from different angles: by investigating attitudes on language change expressed in
Austrian newspapers, by considering Francophone Belgian pupils’ performances in a popular national dictation contest, by
unravelling the various denominations used in different domains to refer collectively to Canada’s First Nations, and by discussing
to what extent a Dynamic Approach to language could be a more beneficial approach than the commonly adopted static
perspective.
Article outline
- 1.Reflections of evolution and revolution
- 1.1Evolution
- 1.2Revolution
- 2.Overview of the contributions
- Note
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