Heterodox linguistics

Within the scope of this wiki, extraordinary claims are statements, typically made by academics, that, while not constituting linguocrankery, have not been argued for convincingly enough to gather significant support in mainstream academia, all the while having wide-ranging consequences if true. Of course, to some extent this is subjective. That would be the fun part.

This wiki is interested in extraordinary claims, because while they are not linguocrankery in themselves, they are often used as ammunition for pushing linguocrankery (or even further extraordinary claims.

Harm
Are eccentric research topics bad? Some would argue that they are because they divert resources and attention away from more pressing matters. Every dollar spent on studying the intricacies of the Altaic language family is a dollar that could have been used to document endangered languages or support language revitalization efforts. Critics contend that these niche studies, although promising to pay off, do not contribute significantly to addressing urgent linguistic challenges faced by communities worldwide.

On the other hand, there is a concern that journalists tend to sensationalize fringe research rather than emphasizing more substantial scholarly advancements. By focusing on the sensational aspects of fringe research, journalists may inadvertently downplay the importance of rigorous scientific inquiry and the impactful discoveries being made in other areas. This can lead to a distorted understanding of the linguistic landscape and hinder the dissemination of credible information to the public.