Lecturer: OFELIA M. SISON

Master of Arts in Education,

Major in English Language Teaching

Panpacific University North Philippines

Urdaneta City, Pangasinan

Professor: MARIA MARTHA MANETTE A. MADRID, Ph. D.

Leonard Bloomfield (1887-1949) is, together

with Edward Sapir, one of the two most prominent

American linguists of the first half of the twentieth

century. His book Language (Bloomfield, 1933)

was the standard introduction to linguistics for

thirty years following its publication. Together with

his students, particularly Bernard Bloch, Zellig

Harris, and Charles Hockett, Bloomfield

established the school of thought that has come to

be known as American structural linguistics, which

dominated the field until the rise of GENERATIVE

GRAMMAR in the 1960s.

Throughout his career, Bloomfield wasconcerned with developing a general andcomprehensive theory of language. Hisfirst formulation (Bloomfield, 1914)embedded that theory within theconceptualist framework of Wilhelm Wundtwhich was the psychology of language.Wundtian theory had connection with thenotion like association and apperceptionas foundation of language.

In the early 1920s, however,Bloomfield abandoned that frameworkin favor of BEHAVIORISM theory oflanguage. In repudiating the existenceof all mentalist constructs, Bloomfieldalso repudiated the classical view thatthe structure of language reflects thestructure of thought. For Bloomfield,the structure of language was thecentral object of linguistic study, andhence of cognitive science..

Bloomfield maintained that all

linguistic structure could be

determined by the application of

analytic procedures starting with

the smallest units which combine

sound (or ‘vocal features’) and

meaning (or ‘stimulus-reaction

features’), called morphemes

(Bloomfield, 1926: 130).

Bloomfield went on to show how to

identify both smaller units (i.e.,

phonemes, defined as minimum units

of ‘distinctive’ vocal features) and

larger ones (words, phrases, and

sentences). Bloomfield developed rich

theories of both MORPHOLOGY and

SYNTAX, much of which was carried

over more or less intact into

generative grammar.

In morphology, Bloomfield paid careful

attention to phonological alternations of

various sorts, which led to the

development of the modern theory of

morphophonemics (see especially

Bloomfield, 1939). In syntax, he laid

the foundations of the theory of

constituent structure, including the

rudiments of xbar- 2 theory.

(Bloomfield, 1933: 194-195)

Bloomfield generated so muchenthusiasm for syntactic analysis thathis students felt that they were doingsyntax for the first time in the history oflinguistics. (Hockett, 1968: 31)Bloomfield did not develop his theoryof SEMANTICS to the same extent ashe did his theories of PHONOLOGY,MORPHOLOGY, and SYNTAX,contenting himself primarily withnaming the semantic contributions ofvarious types of linguistic units.

Ultimately, American structural

linguistics failed not for its

inadequacies in phonology,

morphology, and syntax, but

because behaviorism does not

provide an adequate basis for the

development of a semantic theory

for natural languages.

The theory of behaviorism isderived from a psychologicaltheory founded by J.B. Watson.The followers of this theory areBloomfield, Skinner and severalothers. The main principle of thetheory was mainly on analyzinghuman behaviors in observablestimulus - respond withininteraction.

Behaviorists belief, in language

learning, children obtain the language

through varied babblings and

mutterings which they try to imitate

the words which they heard from the

adults. And as the babbling and any

kind of efforts done by the children

are rewarded, this reward will

reinforce further articulation of

babblings and mutterings.

As the children grow, and reachthe age of 4-6, the babblings andmutterings will develop intoappropriate language to beapplied in social context. And thislanguage will internalize anddevelop into implicitspeech. According to Bloomfield(1933), language learning isperceived as a formation of habits.

The process of learning is the same

as learning other skills. The theory

was derived from the notion of

stimulus and response. The

behaviorist sees that learners are

exposed to numerous stimuli in the

environment and the contexts they

are in. They will respond to the

stimuli. Through repeated

reinforcement, the habits will form.

According to Ellis (1984), behavioristdevelopment was developing inAmerica and Western Europe around1960s in which accepted that thelanguage development was aproduct of stimulus-response. Thestimulus-response then develops inthe process of imitation, repetitionand reinforcement (Harmer, 2001;Lightbown and Spada, 1999;Richards and Rogers, 2001).

So, the second language development at

that time played around this acceptance. But

the truth is, there were hardly any empirical

studies of these in the language

development in the classroom. Behaviorist

was generally extrapolating the general

language learning theory base on the

experiment done onto human in the science

laboratory. This lack of proves was actually

one of a factor which led to the next idea in

language learning led by Chomsky in 1959;

as one of the pioneer in developing the

Innatism.

As conclusion in connection with

Behaviorism, language learning is:

1. A habit formation resembling the

formation of other habits – language is

learned in the way in which other habits

are learned

2. Nothing more than the acquisition of

new behavior or knowledge – takes place

when experience or practice causes a

change in a person’s knowledge or

behavior

3.An external event involving an

observable change in behavior brought

about by the stimuli coming from the

environment – does not involve any

unobservable change in mental

knowledge since behavior can be

explained without the need to consider

internal mental states or consciousness

4. Addressed to only human beings –

acquire a language as discrete units of

habits, independently trained

Structuralism is the idea that many

phenomena do not occur in isolation,

but instead occur in relation to each

other, and that all related phenomena

are part of a whole with a definite, but

not necessarily defined, structure.

This theory can further be explained

through phonology, morphology and

syntax.

Phonology – the study of

sounds in language

Morphology – the study of the

structure of words that will

eventually form/give the

meaning

Syntax – the study of the

interrelations of words in the

sentence

1. Variation of pitch, stress,

vowels and consonants

2. Affixation

Example: fire – singular (object)

fire + s - plural

geese – not plural morpheme

duck+s – plural morpheme

3. Reduplication - repetition

Example: bill – as payment

bill – as word

4. Homomorphy - homonym

Example: project (noun)

project (verb)

5. Suppletion – conjugation

Example: dance, dances,

danced, dancing

6. Associational identification-

relationship lies within the

meaning of words

Example: flash, flicker, flare,

flame

7. Initial and final root-forming

morpheme – resemblance in

sound

Example: glow & glare,

bump & lump

8. Derivational – root word

Example: eat = eater, eatable

1. By modulations of pitch and of stress

(intonation)

Example: He ‘failed com’pletely to make

his meaning clear.

*completely is the attribute of failed

2. By crossreferring constructions

(agreement of subject and predicate)

Example: Many fires break out.

*both fires and break are plural

3. By congruence ( agreement in gender,

number and case)

Example: He takes with him his laptop.

*he, him, his – masculine, singular

4. By government or rection (possessive

case)

Example: her hair, hers is long

5. By word order ( subject followed by

predicate)

Example: Many fires/ break out.

subject predicate

Bloomfieldian theory of language isanalyzed in terms of hierarchy ofsmaller elements: phrases, words andmorphemes. The elements called“forms”, are all said to have“meanings”. The most basic meaningsof a language are those associatedwith morphemes but these can beanalyzed into smaller phonologicalunits, called “phonemes”.

Thus: phonemes combined to form

morphemes. Associated with each

morpheme is a unit of meaning.

Morphemes combine

phonologically and semantically to

form words; words combine

phonologically and semantically to

form phrases. Phrases in turn

combine to make larger forms; the

maximal phrases or a language

are called sentences.

Certainly, if Bloomfieldianstructuralism is, as Chomsky wrotein 1964, “a kind of pre-Darwiniantaxonomy concerned solely withthe collection and classification ofcountless specimens”, it has littleto recommend it. But thischaracterization of the work of theperiod is not accurate.

Indeed it has some features that makeit as attractive theory of linguistic formas generative grammar conceived.What is required is not a disparagingdismissal of Bloomfieldianstructuralism, but a reconstruction of itusing the more sophisticated formalapparatus of logico-mathematicallinguistics that has recently beendeveloped as an adjunct to work ingenerative grammar.

Bloomfield, L., 1914, An Introduction to the Study of Language. New York: Henry Holt.

Bloomfield, L., 1926, ‘A set of postulates for the science of language.’

Language2: 153-164.Reprinted in Hockett, 1970, pp. 128-138.

Bloomfield, L., 1933, Language. New York: Henry Holt.

Bloomfield, L., 1935, ‘Linguistic aspects of science.’

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