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In article <2vso7d$s0e@csi0.csi.uottawa.ca>
misrael@csi.uottawa.ca (Mark Israel) writes:
 
>
>In article <2vno1s$eg4@csi0.csi.uottawa.ca>, I wrote:
>> In article <199407062210.PAA17283@netcom12.netcom.com>, Karen Kay <karenk@NETCOM.COM> writes:
>
>>> Is theoretical physics a science?
>>
>> Absolutely!  Theoretical physics makes correct practical
>> predictions.  Look at the recent discovery of variations in the
>> background radiation, at exactly the level that theoretical
>> physicists had predicted.  What comparable triumph has linguistics
>> had?
>
I'm sorry, but I do not quite follow your reasoning. You mean that the          M.COM> writes:
This is a bit at odds with what seems to be going on, wouldn't you say?
 
What I mean is that a field of study can be a science without being able
to make correct predictions, and that something that makes correct pre-
dictions may not be considered scientific. For example, the ptolemean
model of the universe made correct pratical (for their purposes) pre-
dictions, is it scientific? On the other hand, any science dealing with
systems that are complex, and adaptive, are unable to make predictions
because they deal with problems resolved through non-linear equations
and have to know the exact data (down to the last decimal) of the ini-
tial situation. The path followed by the smokestream of a cigarette is
well understood by modern physics, but never could one make correct
predictions past a certain point.
 
>in any way validates modern theoretical linguistics, i.e. the work of
>Chomsky or his rivals.
>
You seem to be placing Chomsky at the centre of linguistics, with others
revolving around, either for or against him.
 
I am not sure that predictions cannot be made in linguistics, psycho-
mechanics made some, cocerning the evolution of systems within IE
languages (the appearance of AUX and article as the system grows
more general, and noun declension drops, etc.). But I admit not very
many people know of these theories...
 
                                         Marc.