Chapter 1 - Intro Flashcards
Define linguistics
The study of one aspect of human knowledge; the knowledge of language
In which field does linguistics fit?
In the cognitive science field, since speaking/understanding/etc is a cognitive capacity
Define briefly what IS a linguist?
It’s a scientist pursuing the investigation of the nature of language as a phenomenon in the natural world
What is NOT a linguist? (Misconceptions/myths about linguists)
It is NOT someone who knows a lot of languages
It is NOT someone who worries about the proper use of language
It is NOT someone who lets their political views interefere with their work
Describe the difference between prescriptive and descriptive grammar. Which are linguists more interested in?
Descriptive grammar seeks to understand what people are actually using when they speak a certain language, while prescriptive grammar gives precise instructions about what is considered “good language” and that everyone should follow (in grammar books)
Linguists are interested by descriptive grammar
What kind of knowledge do linguists have of most languages?
Explicit/conscious
What kind of knowledge do native speakers of one language have about their own language?
Tacit/unconscious
Explain the difference between the common use of the term language, and the definition of the term language that linguists use
Concepts such as “the French language” and “the English language” are sociopolitical and ill-defined. This is NOT the meaning of language that linguists use (not scientific)
• Why is it ill-defined? Because not everyone speaks English or French the same way, we each add our own twists
A linguist investigates language as a general phenomenon.
• Ex: I say "rubber band", and I speak English. For the same concept, my friend says "elastic", but also speaks English. MY English is different than MY FRIEND'S English. If we say things differently, we must speak different languages! There is no way to select which way of speaking English is the "correct" English - we each have our own unique linguistic system, and THAT is what is of interest to linguists
Define the concept of linguistic systems for linguists
For linguists, “languages” such as the English language (for which there is grammar, definitions and structure) are considered as linguistic systems
The different way that I speak English and that my friend speaks English are also considered linguistic systems
What does it mean when we say that the linguistic system is species-specific?
It means that only humans can use the linguistic system as we do
But it does NOT mean that other animals can’t communicate, and that human do not use any other form of communication than the linguistic system
How come not everyone speaks the same version of English? Why do I say rubberband and my friend says elastic?
The mind experiences the world constantly, and updates its knowledge constantly.
Therefore, since everyone has different experiences of the world, our individual knowledge are all different from one another!
• Possible explanations for the development of our own linguistic system: • We are stupid • We are lazy • We are uneducated • Some or all of the above We are all that, but the most important reason is that our experiences differ and the way we construct our experiences is different
Optical illusions illustrate 2 fundamental flaws in the theory of perception, what are they?
• The perception of such images is non-veridical (not true), perception cannot be passive reception
§ The mind must impose an analysis on the sensory input, thereby creating the false percept, that is, the illusion is not in the world (a computer analyzing the image is not tricked), it is in the mind
• The illusion persists even after the mind has established the true nature of the image, the mind is constrained in its ability to impose an analysis
Besides the visual system, which other sensory systems present the same flaws in the theory of perception? Give an example of this
Auditory and language systems
• Ex: the concept of “words” is impossible to perceive in a language we know nothing about, but in ours yes
§ Words are a mental construct
§ The ability to hear words in a sentence does not come from the auditory input we receive
§ Your brain can only recognize the words it knows about, in the languages you speak
§ You can’t decide to stop hearing words in a language you know
§ Illusions are persistent, they don’t fade over time
Define perception
• Perception: involved recognizing the identity between one’s current experience and one’s past experience (ex: when we see a cat, our mind recognizes that signal as being previously associated with the concept of a cat)
Explain how and why a visual or auditory illusion is part of a mental system
- It systematically creates the same illusion over time
- Linguistic systems are mental systems
- Your linguistic system is also responsible for getting you to speak (not just for passive perception)
