(Xx*-)Linguistics: Because We Love Language

Abstract

Overall, although there is not the intense overlap between theoretical and computational linguistics that many seem to wish, I do not see this as a problem from a practical perspective. Everyone is working towards a common goal to understand language and to unearth its structure. By approaching the problem from different angles and with different immediate goals, we gain a broader perspective on the problem, and language is complex enough to need this broad perspective. As with all fields and as with the (Xx*-)linguistic fields, there are some researchers who more naturally reach outside their immediate domain and who will see where there are convergences and contradictions. Forcing everyone into this role would slow the growth of the field as a whole given the vast amount of work still before us.