Mantilla, Joshua P.

BEE – II October 9, 2021

Unit 5: Let’s Do This Activity

Discuss Leonard Bloomfield and Edward Sapir ‘s Theory on Structuralist Linguistics. Cite
concrete examples.

Bloomfield and Sapir are co-founder of American structuralism and is based on

Saussure’s structuralist linguistics though they are somehow dissimilar from each other Sapir’s
approach was imaginative and Bloomfield were methodological. Bloomfield’s approach includes
the scientific basis to linguistics along with behaviorism that he developed later on. He focuses
on language as being spoken. Meaning of words used in speaking contains its own meaning
depending on context rather than just by giving meaning per word, since it describes what people
say and not what people should say.
For example, a child may say “like that”, it does not focus on what does the word
like means but with how the child says it. It may be that the child is pointing to a flower and it
actual wants to say that he likes the flower. Bloomfield emphasizes that language is observable
and not knowledge. That is why it gives importance to what is spoken since it says that not all
languages have its own system of writing. Bloomfield also focuses on the current time that the
language exists and not with the dead ones, and it does not give much attention on why a word
have such meaning that is same approach with Saussure.
On the other hand, Sapir’s approach states that language is an acquired function of
culture rather than being biologically determined. Therefore, culture affects how people thinks
rather than the reciprocal. It worth mentioning that this approach is opposite to how Noam
Chomsky views it. Sapir believes that an individual will never be able to speak with meaning on
his own, unless he talks with someone within a society. For example, a student is trying to learn
Japanese but he only knows words and sentence construction, not knowing what does Japanese
people tend to speak with other people.
In this given example, the student must know a little background of Japan before
learning its language. Better if he relocates to the place where he can interact with other people,
or else he’ll just spout nonsensical Japanese terms. Sapir pointed out that if an infant was born in
a certain linguistic environment but then he grows up to another linguistic environment, he will
surely adopt the language of where he grew up rather than learning what his biological parents’
language.
Sources:
https://cte.univ-setif2.dz/moodle/mod/book/view.php?id=16633
https://unt.univ-cotedazur.fr/uoh/learn_teach_FL/affiche_theorie.php?id_theoricien=10
https://www.ourboox.com/books/leonard-bloomfield-american-structuralism/
https://science.jrank.org/pages/9907/Language-Linguistics-Structuralist-Era.html