A nonpsychological realist conception of linguistic rules

I argue here that the study of language independently of considerations of use, mental representation or acquisition – a.k.a. autonomous linguistics – is not only possible but necessary. I do so mainly with a series of cases in point, including the recognition of formal languages and a series of puzzles involving natural language whose solutions are inherently nonpsychological in nature. More positively, I argue that autonomous linguistics is closely akin to codebreaking and conclude the main part of the discussion with a parable putting the lie to the idea that since language is a product of the human mind, which I do not dispute, the only reasons for interest in it must be psychological in nature (which I do dispute). At the request of the editors, I conclude with an autobiographical reminiscence of how I was led to this work by an involvement with the ideas of the dedicatee of this volume.