ConSOLE 23 2015 • University Paris Diderot-Paris 7

The contribution of John Rupert Firth to the history of linguistics and the rejection of the phoneme theory

Angela Senis

Université Paris Diderot

angela@senis.org

Abstract

This article is meant to show how central Firth's particular position towards the phoneme is, in terms of constitution of the concept of phonaesthesia as a direct answer to the flaws he denounced in the phoneme. The rejection of the phoneme theory then led to the constitution of a whole and coherent theory of language now known under the name Contextual theory of meaning or even Firthian linguistics. It has eventually resulted in the creation of an independent school of thinking, the London School of Linguistics that has influenced many generations of British linguists.

Access & Citation

Citation Formats

APA Style

Angela Senis (2015). the contribution of john rupert firth to the history of linguistics and the rejection of the phoneme theory. In Proceedings of ConSOLE 23, edited by Kate Bellamy, Elena Karvovskaya, Martin Kohlberger, George Saad, (pp. 273-293).

BibTeX

@inproceedings{senis-firth-2015, title={The contribution of John Rupert Firth to the history of linguistics and the rejection of the phoneme theory}, author={Angela Senis}, booktitle={Proceedings of ConSOLE 23}, year={2015}, pages={273-293}, editor={Kate Bellamy and Elena Karvovskaya and Martin Kohlberger and George Saad} }

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