Chapter 3 Flashcards
code switching
the practice of keeping particular forms of speech separate in one’s life.
creole
type of language formed when speakers of different languages combine their languages.
descriptive linguistics
the study of specific features of individual languages, such as patterns of grammar and sounds.
design feature
an element that is common to all languages.
diachronic
studies that focus on change over time.
dialect
distinct but mutually intelligible forms of a single language.
ethnosemantics (or ethnoscience)
the study of the culturally and linguistically specific ways people make sense of the world.
grammar
the rules that people use to organize their speech.
historical linguistics
the study of how languages develop and change over time.
kinesics
body language
language
a system of verbal and nonverbal symbols used to communicate.
language family
a group of languages that derive from a common ancestor language.
language hierarchy
the system by which some languages or dialects have ranked political, economic, and social status.
language theory
an explanation of the general nature of language.
lexicon
all the morphemes of a particular language.
linguistic morphology
the patterns and structures of words in a language.
linguistic nationalism
the use of language to promote nationalist ideologies.
morphemes
units of language that carry meaning.
official language
language sanctioned by a ruling body.
paralanguage
certain qualities applied to particular words, such as volume, tone, or emphasis.
philology
the study of societies through their texts.
phonemes
the sounds available in any particular language.
phonemics
the study of specific structures and sounds in a particular language.
phonetics
the study of all possible structures and sounds humans use in language.
phonology
the study of language sounds, including phonemics and phonetics.
pidgin
language formed when speakers in a multilingual context use a simplified form of one language.
protolanguage
the ancient language from which all the members of a particular language family are derived.
regional dialect
an accent and word choice related to geography.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
a hypothesis that posits that language shapes people’s perceptions, thoughts, and views of reality.
social dialect
a way of speaking connected to class.
social register
a way of speaking related to a specific setting.
sociolinguistics
the study of how language is used by people in society.
structuralism
a theory of language that says all languages share an underlying binary structure.
symbol
something that stands for something else.
synchronic
studies that focus on a given moment in time.
syntax
the order in which morphemes appear.
