On "alienation"
an essay in the psycholinguistics of science
pp. 169-187
in: Felix Geyer, David Schweitzer (eds), Theories of alienation, Berlin, Springer, 1976Abstract
My assignment is to contribute to the conceptual and terminological analysis of "alienation'. The assignment is worth the effort it demands because the concept is widely used in social science; because phenomena ordered under this rubric are widespread (Toynbee calls this the century of alienation, and my morning newspaper informs me that even working-class youth in America are alienated); and because linguistics may be able to supply a crucial element in the solution of the longstanding puzzle of social science methodology. These reasons are adequate; indeed, they suffice to arouse anxiety.