Hocus Pocus or God’s Truth: the dual identity of Michael Stubbs

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Abstract

Text analysis is in an anomalous position: hovering on the borders between the sciences on the one hand, and the arts on the other. As science it seeks to be descriptive rather than prescriptive, replicable by other analysts, expounding objective facts about language use. As an art it evaluates and prescribes, imposing the writer's views upon the external world, saying as much about the analyst as the analysed. This chapter explores the position of Michael Stubbs in relation to this dichotomy, suggesting that, while he advocates objectivity, and has made an outstanding contribution to linguistic description, his achievement - almost despite himself - is also to be an evaluator and interpreter. Like a good literary critic, he is worth reading not only for what he tells us about the external world (which is a great deal) but also for his own unique ideas.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLanguage, People, Numbers
Subtitle of host publicationCorpus Linguistics and Society
EditorsAndrea Gerbig, Oliver Mason
Place of PublicationAmsterdam and New York
PublisherRodopi
Pages305-327
Number of pages23
ISBN (Print)9042023503, 9789042023505
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Publication series

NameLanguage and Computers: Studies in Practical Linguistics
PublisherRodopi
Volume64

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