Considering Language with Chatbots

The rise of Large Language Models (LLMs) has profound implications for both research and education, also within linguistics. This article explores how chatbots can serve as innovative tools for the didactics of reflection about language and language use. Using concrete examples from interactions with LLMs, it demonstrates how these technologies make the four perspectives on language formulated by the Dutch Meesterschapsteam Nederlands (2016, 2018) - language as a system, as an individual phenomenon, as a social phenomenon, and as a historical phenomenon - accessible in new and interactive ways. At the same time, working with LLMs in the classroom highlights the fundamental differences between human language processing and the computational approach of LLMs, including criticisms of the nature of their `understanding' and `creativity'. The article argues for a critical integration of chatbots into Dutch language and literature education, with an emphasis on `conscious literacy' and experiential learning, and discusses the ethical considerations as well as the shifting role of the Dutch studies scholar in this new landscape.