“Are Methods of Natural Science Suitable To Be Used In Social Science Including Linguistics?”

When reading the question in the title above, we, linguists, immediately answer that they are. We assume that social science IS a science. Therefore, it may have some of the characteristics that a natural science has, and in that way the methods of social science may also have some of the characteristics, if not all, of methods that a natural science has. But it is just an assumption. In this study the writer would like to discuss the answer to the question above in details. Linguistics, a study about language used by humans as a means of communication, IS a science because it is a conscious effort to investigate, discover, and increase human’s understanding about a certain aspect of reality, that is language. It has several characteristics of science. It has a theory, method, and methodology. Linguistics is a socio-cultural or human science because it formulates an interpretative operation of social realities. Its method is a scientific method because it characterizes a science. It is general in its application. It is not dependent on imagination or intuition and can be applied by any skilled scientist. Its reliability can be found out based on a theoretical deduction. In its research, a linguistic model of analysis goes through the same scheme and procedure as any practice of natural science. It begins with defining the purpose of the research, goes on with designing the research and then collecting and analysing data, and ends with drawing the conclusion.