Ch. 5: Language and Communication Flashcards
Bound morpheme
A morpheme that can convey meaning only when combined with another morpheme.
Closed system of communication
Communication in which the user cannot create new sounds or words by combining two or more existing sounds or words.
Code switching
The practice of adapting one’s language depending on the social situation.
Cultural linguistics
The study of the relationship between language and culture.
Descriptive linguistics
The branch of anthropological linguistics that studies how languages are structured.
Diachronic analysis
The analysis of data through time, rather than at a single point in time.
Displacement
The ability to talk about things that are remote in time and space.
Ethnolinguistics
The branch of anthropological linguistics that studies the relationship between language and culture.
Free morpheme
A morpheme that can convey meaning while standing alone without being attached to other morphemes.
Morphology
The study of the rules that govern how morphemes are formed into words.
Nonverbal communication
The various means by which humans send and receive messages without using words (for example, gestures, facial expressions, and touching).
Open system of communication
Communication in which the user can create new sounds or words by combining two or more existing sounds or words.
Phonemes
The smallest units of sound in a language that distinguish meaning.
Phonology
The study of a language’s sound system.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
The notion that a person’s language shapes her or his perceptions and view of the world.
