American

Structuralism

Prepared by: Dr. Nour Toumi

 Objectives
By the end of this lecture you will be able to:

1.understand American structuralism.

2.differentiate between European and American

structuralism.
 American structuralism
American structuralism appeared from a strong tendency of
American anthropologists whose main interest was to study
American Indian languages and cultures before their
disappearance.

Three important figures responsible for the emergence of

American structuralism: Franz Boas (1858-1942), Edward
Sapir (1884-1939) and Leonard Bloomfield (1987-1949)
 Boas and Sapir maintained that languages should be described on
their own. They studied languages from anthropological and
psychological orientations believing that there is a connection
between languages and the way of life and thought of its speakers
(Linguistic relativity/Sapir-Whorf hypothesis).
Determinism : language determines/restricts human thoughts and
perception
Influence : language only influences human thoughts and perception
but doesn’t limit or control it.
Bloomfield tried to study language scientifically (behaviourism).
 Main tenets of American structuralism

1. Linguistics is a descriptive science

2. The primary form of language is the spoken one

3. Every language is a system on its own right

4. Meaning should not be part of linguistic analysis

5. Language is observable speech, not knowledge.

Leonard Bloomfield
His principal concern was to
develop linguistics as a science
He is considered the father of
American structuralism
He was strongly influenced by
behaviourism in psychology
Meaning is simply the
relationship between a stimulus
and a verbal response. No
significant or interesting results
could be expected from the
study of meanings. Complete
neglect of semantics
 Immediate Constituent Analysis (ICA)
It is an explicit method of analysing sentences grammatically by
dividing them into its immediate constituents (by using binary
cutting) until obtaining its ultimate constituents . This technique is
used to show the relationship of the main parts of a sentence to
each other.
The aim of this approach is to exhaustively describe the
“interrelationships” between the words in utterances and thereby to
accomplish a description of “the syntax of the utterance in its whole”
 Conclusion
Difference Between American and European Structuralism
Definition
American structuralism is a movement of linguistics that
occurred in the US from the 1930s to 1960s. European
structuralism is a movement of linguistics that developed in
Europe during the 1920s.
Prominent Linguists
Ferdinand de Saussure was the most prominent linguist in
European structuralism. On the other hand, Leonard Bloomfield
was the most prominent linguist in American structuralism.
 Languages
American structuralism involved the study of Native American
languages. Since it was an unexplored area, linguists had to
determine their rules and grammar structures first, before describing
these language patterns and comparing them with English. However,
European structuralism involved European languages, which had
been extensively studied before.
Meaning/ Semantics
In American structuralism, one can observe a complete neglect of
semantics or meaning. However, in European structuralism, the
study of language cannot be separated from the study of meaning.
Type of Study
Moreover, European structuralism mostly involved abstract ideas
and concepts. Meanwhile, American structuralism was
comparatively more applied in nature.
 Nature
American structuralism began as an offshoot of anthropology and
was influenced by behaviourism. On the other hand, European
structuralism took a more pure linguistic approach.
Conclusion
In brief, American structuralism and European structuralism are two
main structural linguistics movements that developed
independently of each other. American structuralism began as an
offshoot of anthropology and was influenced by behaviourism.
European structuralism, on the other hand, was directly inspired and
influenced by the work of Saussure. Moreover, American
structuralism focused on Native American languages, while
European structuralism focused on European languages, which has
clearly identifiable grammar rules and structures. Therefore, there is
a distinct difference between American and European structuralism.