Corpus at the Core: The Epistemology of Language Planning

This chapter addresses the question of the specific epistemic role of language planning within language policy and planning (LPP) and in the larger field of applied linguistics. Drawing from the traditional distinction between internal and external linguistics, the core of language planning is found in the internal dimension of LPP. The empirical insights obtained by language planning permit avoiding the tragedy of inductivism on one side and the taxonomic fury on the other. In other words, when properly considering empirical data from language planning, the design of the corresponding language policies comes along solid lines so that no gross errors are found. The chapter illustrates the method of levels of abstraction, adapted from the Philosophy of Information, to guide the analysis of case studies, which is exemplified by the case study of Esperanto and Hebrew in comparison, focusing on the epistemological standpoints. The illustrated method shows the importance of inspecting the levels of abstraction, to be done independently from considerations of status, management, or policy