Linguistics and mother tongue education

Gilles Gagné

pp. 139-155

in: Olga Mišeska Tomić, Roger W. Shuy (eds), The relation of theoretical and applied linguistics, Berlin, Springer, 1987

Abstract

In a recent colloquium on the state of the art of French-language research on Mother Tongue Education (MTE), a strong rejection of the applications of linguistics was expressed in such formulas as (Romian, 1983): a refusal to be confined to linguistics, and an opening to semiology and communication; a refusal of the preponderance of the linguistic model, and an opening toward psychological and sociological foundations; a refusal of the focus on morpho-syntax, and an emphasis on pragmatics and discourse. A confirmation of the existence of a problem comes from Chiss (1982) who puts it in terms of a double crisis, one affecting linguistics and the other concerning MTE. In English-speaking countries, Rosen (1981) had previously expressed doubts about the use of linguistics in MTE, speaking of a 'stormy love affair."