McMaster Divinity College Linguistics Circle – Monthly Meeting
Presenter: Dr. Stanley Porter
Title: What Can Biblical Greek Linguistics Learn from Philosophy and Hermeneutics?
Abstract:
In this paper I introduce some of the philosophical underpinnings of the various stages in the history of language study, with concentration upon the study of New Testament Greek. I trace the three major periods, from the Enlightenment to the contemporary period, showing the influence of philosophy and hermeneutics. I then explore some recent developments by selecting a couple of contemporary linguistic theories and examining some of their philosophical and hermeneutical presuppositions. I finally draw out some hermeneutical implications. One of the goals of the paper is to move away from any notion that language study, especially Greek language study, is a discipline free from the influence of its intellectual context and open possibilities for rethinking how we conceptualize language.
Our November meeting of Linguistics Circle will be held this Thursday evening from 7-9pm in our usual Zoom room This month, our very own Dr. Stanley Porter will be presenting a paper entitled, “What Can Biblical Greek Linguistics Learn from Philosophy and Hermeneutics?”
We look forward to a stimulating conversation regarding philosophical and hermeneutical presuppositions of how we understand language and linguistics.
