• just_chill@jlai.lu
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    13 hours ago

    For he layperson, probably correct. I’d say thay in a scientific context, the definition needs to be adapted to the research context. What are we looking at, what are we searching for ? How do we define “word” in a usable manner ? Languages are made up anyway !!
    I’m afraid I don’t really have specific litterature to recommend, and I’m not quite sure where my notes went ^^’ but I will still recommend a book an categories: “birds colo(u)rs and prepositions”. Not about words per se, but about where and how we draw lines between categories. A more generic approach to the question.

    • lugal@sopuli.xyz
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      5 hours ago

      Ok, true. In the scientific context it’s good to know many definitions and know which one to apply in a given situation. But it’s not that the overall opinion of a linguist as a person. It’s rather than you learn not to take any of them, including your intuition, too seriously if that makes sense.

      I’ll put the book on my reading list! I barely do any linguistics since university and it might be fun reading again. Thanks!