Apparatus cognition

For a long time linguistic, translation and glottodidactic considerations increasingly focus on the speaker-listener, her/ his  language/ translation features located in the brain and on language/ translation processes that take part in it. The consequence of appreciation of language/ translation skills as an inherent human feature is the shift of  the real speaker-listener to the foreground of linguistic/ translation considerations, and, at the same time, the transfer of considerations and research to the linguistic processes in the brain.

As the consequence of setting the particular speaker-listener in the centre of interests of linguistics/ translation/ glottodidactics there was so revolutionary change not only of scope of its scientific cognition, but also its research methods. During last decades, thanks to the new technical solutions, there are new possibilities of deeper cognition by apparatus research.

Talking about such research, it should be noted that the semantic range of the term "apparatus research" could be limited, broad or the broadest. In the first approach the term "apparatus research" means the activity of using a particular device in order to carry out a certain measurement of research material and/ or in order to perform a specific action on it. In the broader approach the term  "apparatus research" means the planning the performance of activity of using a particular device in order to carry out a certain measurement of research material and/ or in order to perform a specific action on it, and then using this device in order to performe  the planned measurement of research material and/ or in order to perform the planned action on it. In the broadest approach the semantic range of the term "apparatus research" also includes the action of drawing conclusions on the basis of the measurement of research material and/ or on the basis of the resulsts of performing a specific action on it. As can be seen in the broader and broadest approach the semantic range of the term "apparatus research" also includes a preparation and verification of intelectually "clear" action of using a particular research device.

It means that actually our (intelectual) cognition is based on the basic assumption (belief) that using their cognitive skills, the senses and the ability to use them, languages (!) and ability to use them people are able to make some cognition. Generally speaking, this is the assumption that people have particuler epistemic skills, whereas apparatus cognition is based on the assumption (belief) that using some devices we can cognite something that is not subject to the direct observation of senses. But it should be emphasized that every research device is only more or less perfect "continuation" of our senses, our epistemic skills.

[Sambor Grucza]