3B Others: Communication

Question 1

Define communication.

Answer 1

• Communication: The transmission of a message from a sender to a receiver, factors of the message being what is communicated and how it is communicated.

Question 2

What did Chomsky assume about language and what ‘device’ did he propose?

Answer 2

• Assumed that language was innate, something developed naturally
• Proposed a ‘language acquisition device (LAD)’ on the theory that humans are born with instinct or the innate facility for acquiring language
• Accounts for the fact that children acquire language faster than any other abilities, mastering the basics by four.

Question 3

What is a ‘LAD’?

Answer 3

• A device/organ in the brain that helps assimilate language and it’s varying complexities
• The input of language is speech of the child’s surroundings, where the LAD then implies the general language learning principles and grammar, and the output is the child’s speech

Question 4

What are the universal rules and surface structural rules of LAD?

Answer 4

• Applicable to all languages and rules to cover the grammatical structure of language
• Grammatical structure of spoken language, LAD made sure that children’s output was similar to the language around them

Question 5

Explain Bruner’s research in response to Chomsky’s LAD proposal.

Answer 5

• A longitudinal study of 2 boys from 3 months to 24 months
• Assumed that language was learned, and developed the language acquisition support system (LASS), showing how language is developed from parents talking to their children

Question 6

What does LASS require, and what is the child and adult component in LASS?

Answer 6

• LASS requires LAD (grammatical context)
• Child component is that language is innate
• Adult component is to provide the social and instructional framework to encourage speech and facilitate the learning of language

Question 7

What are the three ways which Robinson (2003) outline that adults regulate and mark social relationships as adults?

Answer 7

• Shaking hands
• Terms of address
• Being polite

Question 8

What are the three aspects of a hand shake and what does a hand shake suggest?

Answer 8

• Hand orientation
• Pressure
• Length of time
• Suggests good will, friendship, trust etc.

Question 9

What are the two main types of address and what are the distinctions between people addressing each other?

Answer 9

• T: informal/familiar address
• V: formal address
• Mutual T
• Mutual V
• V to T or T to V

Question 10

What are Brown & Levinson’s (1987) two developed models of linguistic politeness?

Answer 10

• Negative face or politeness: when you make a request seem less imposing, e.g. ‘Can you please…’ ‘Would you care to…’
• Positive face or politeness: when you wish to be approved or liked, and you do so through direct speech acts