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BLUHM 9
pertinent expression features prominently, or with a more or less hypothetical setting, an
example story, in which the expression of interest plays a significant role. Ideally, the next
step is the interpretation or analysis of whatever has been thought of in step 3. Steps 3 and 4
are then repeated for additional expressions, and potentially interesting findings are examined
through various iterations and variations.
6: The process ends, ideally, in conclusions being drawn from the results of steps 1 to 5.
3. Intuition in Linguistic Analysis
In the course of this six-step process, philosophers have to appeal to their linguistic intuitions.
Let me emphasise that ‘intuition’ here refers to linguistic competence in the object
language, rather than to a certain kind of belief. It would, of course, be possible to use the
label ‘intuition’ for beliefs that are based on this competence. But I am more concerned here
with drawing attention to the source than to the result of linguistic judgment.
3.1 Some Problems of Intuition
Intuition, in the sense of linguistic competence, has to be employed in different ways in the
different phases of analysis. Here is another very sketchy overview.
Steps in the practice of ordinary language analyses
Type of intuition
Formation of research interest and hypotheses
1 Decision which expressions are pertinent Recall/interpretation
2 Formation of hypotheses related to pertinent
expression
3 Coming up with an
example for the use of
a pertinent expression
i.e., testing and refining
of hypotheses
related to pertinent
expressions
Recall/imagination
4 Analysis of the example Interpretation/evaluation
5 Iterations /variations Recall/imagination
6 Drawing conclusions
Again, some comments are in order.
1: In order to think of words pertinent to a specific analytical task (in step 1), one has to employ
one’s active knowledge of the object language: one has to recall pertinent linguistic phenomena.
And one has to understand, that is, to interpret these phenomena, which is an exercise
of intuition in a passive sense.
3: In a partly similar way, in order to come up with examples, one has to recall or to imagine
contexts in which the expression can be used.
4: In step 4, passive knowledge of the object language takes priority: the ability required here
is that of interpreting a given example utterance (with or without context). And one also
needs to evaluate whether the pertinent expression is acceptable in the example utterance
(with or without context). This is on one hand a matter of self-control. Since step 3 is informed
by step 2, there is the danger that one may come up with biased examples. On the