Philosophy of Language and Corpus Linguistics; Language Games, Rule-following, and Corpora

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Elham Alayiaboozar 1
Rahman Sharifzadeh 2
1 Assistant Prof., Department of Computational Linguistics Research, Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc), Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Prof., Department of Information Ethics and Law Research, Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc), Tehran, Iran
10.22034/aimj.2025.508403.1627
Abstract
Language-in-use and linguistic context are crucial concepts in both the philosophy of language and corpus linguistics. Wittgenstein’s perspective on language-in-use shares notable similarities with corpus linguistics. Both approaches highlight the significance of studying language within its contextual framework and challenge traditional views of language. This article aims to elucidate how the concept of language-in-use and the examination of language in context, particularly in the later Wittgenstein's framework, align with modern corpus studies that utilize big data for linguistic analysis instead of relying solely on linguistic intuition. The late Wittgenstein's paradox of rule-following may even serve as a philosophical foundation for transitioning from rule-based linguistics and rule-based natural language processing to corpus linguistics and statistical natural language processing. The intersection of philosophy of language and corpus linguistics, especially regarding language games and rule-following, presents a rich domain for interdisciplinary research. Corpus linguistics offers empirical tools that can challenge philosophical theories of language use, while philosophical insights can guide the interpretation of corpus data. This synergy can foster a deeper understanding of how language operates as a rule-based activity and a dynamic social phenomenon. Additionally, we will discuss how Wittgenstein’s notion of family resemblance may present challenges for corpus linguistics, natural language processing, and large-scale language models.

Keywords

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  • Receive Date 23 February 2025
  • Revise Date 16 March 2025
  • Accept Date 19 March 2025