昨日の記事「#5665. 言語類型論研究の系譜と現代の潮流」 ([2024-10-30-1]) で類型論 (typology) の学史を振り返った．今回も関連する話題を．
　言語学では，古今東西の諸言語の相違点と共通点を探る試みがなされてきた．歴史言語学や方言学は，とりわけ言語の分岐に関心があるので，相違点に注目しがちである．一方，言語普遍性を求める研究は，定義上，共通点を探る．ある意味では，その中間にあって諸言語間の相違点と共通点に目配せし，絶対的，相対的，あるいは確率的な普遍性を探ろうとするのが言語類型論ともいえる．この3者の関係について，Crystal (84) の端的な解説を読んでみよう．

The languages of the world present us with a vast array of structural similarities and differences. Why should this be so? One way of answering this question is to adopt a historical perspective, investigating the origins of language, and pointing to the importance of linguistic change . . . . An alternative approach is to make a detailed description of the similarities or differences, regardless of their historical antecedents, and proceed from there to generalize about the structure and function of human language.
   There are two main ways of approaching this latter task. We might look for the structural features that all or most language have in common; or we might focus our attention on the features that differentiate them. In the former case, we are searching for language universals; in the latter case, we are involving ourselves in language typology. In principle, the two approaches are complementary, but sometimes they are associated with different theoretical conceptions of the nature of linguistic enquiry.

　結局，言語という山のトンネルを異なる方向から掘り進めているという違いがあるにすぎない．理論上の立ち位置の違いはもちろんあるが，お互いに知見を交流させる努力こそが求められるのだろうと思う．

　・ Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. 2nd. Cambridge: CUP, 2003.

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