Chapter 4 Flashcards
what is the most important feature of culture?
language
what does language rely on?
symbols
what are symbols?
anything serving to refer to something but its meaning can’t be guessed
what is arbitrariness?
no natural connection between two things; ambiguity
when did the development of language first begin?
when our ancestors became bipedal and shifted skull placement on the spine changed shape and position of mouth and throat anatomy
true or false: humans and apes have the same organs in the mouth and throat but differ in positions
true
how do organs in the mouth differ in humans from apes?
- larynx is lower
- pharynx longer
- round shape of tongue and palate enabling more variety of sounds
what is the larynx?
voicebox
what is the pharynx?
throat cavity that resonates and amplifies chamber for speech sound
what is the palate in the mouth?
roof of mouth
which brain structures for language are unique to humans?
Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area
what is universal grammar?
innate ability for developing children to acquire language
what is critical age range hypothesis?
child loses ability to acquire language naturally if not exposed to it early enough
what are open systems of language?
able to create new meanings/messages
what are closed systems of language?
unable to create new meanings/messages
what is a gesture-call system and which species uses it?
apes use a combo of sound, body language, scent, facial expression and touch for communication
non-verbal communication in humans are usually….
less noticed unless violated
what are the types of nonverbal communication in humans?
- kinesics
- proxemics
- paralanguage
what are kinesics?
body language
what are proxemics?
use of / maintained space in social interactions
what is paralanguage?
background features of speech / sounds conveying meaning (ex. tempo, volume, pitch, etc.)
what do Hockett’s Design Features describe?
characteristics of all communication systems
what are characteristics of all communication systems?
- messages transmitted through signs using 1or more sensory systems
- semanticity - signs have meaning
- pragmatic - signs have useful purpose
- interchangeability - send and receive messages
- cultural transmission - some aspects only learned through interactions
- arbitrariness- form of sign isn’t related to its meaning
which design features are exclusive to humans?
- discreteness- made up of small # of meaningless discrete sounds that can be isolated
- duality of patterning - meaningless phonemes combine to create meaning and morphemes combine to convey longer message
- displacement - able to communicate things beyond present
- productivity/creativity- able to spontaneously create never-expressed-before ideas/messages
what are universals of language?
- in all cultures
- change over time
- systematic and equally complex, all equally capable of expressing any idea
- all are symbolic systems
- basic word order of elements and grammatical categories
- made of discrete sounds
- duality of patterning
what is descriptive linguistics?
study of language structures and how they combine to make meaning
what is phonology?
study of sounds of a language
what is a lexicon?
vocabulary
what is morphology?
study of languages’ morphemes
what is a phoneme?
minimal unit of sound making difference in meaning but doesn’t carry meaning itself
what is a morpheme?
minimal unit of meaning
what is a bound morpheme?
morpheme that can’t stand alone and must be
attached to another morpheme
what is a syntax?
rules on how to put units of speech together meaningfully/properly
what are semantics?
meanings of words
what are pragmatics?
social and cultural context of meaning and how context of interaction affects it
what is the definition of language?
standard variety of speech
what is a dialect?
variety of speech/language
dialect is often a result of _______
colonization
what are some reasons for language variation?
- settlement patterns
- migration roots
- region and occupation
reasons for language variation (do/don’t) work in isolation
they don’t work in isolation
what are registers?
style/formality of speech
what are vernaculars?
non-standard varieties of / improper English
which level of education has more access to standard/proper English?
high level of education
what is code-switching?
use of several varieties of language in a particular interaction
what does linguistic relativity (Whorf hypothesis) state?
language largely determines behaviour and shapes way we see the world
what is a criticism of the Whorf hypothesis?
deterministic
when is language variety associated with an ethnic group?
when the language is used as a marker of solidarity
what is a pidgin language?
simplified language form based mainly on one language using a small # of phonemes, simple syntax, and minimum lexicon
what is a creole language?
language developed from pidgin when it’s so widely used that kids acquire it as their 1st languager
what is a creole language?
language developed from pidgin when it’s so widely used that kids acquire it as their 1st language
which gender is more likely to use minimal responses?
women
what are minimal responses?
sounds that indicate someone is listening to the speaker
what is the oralist approach?
emphasizes lip reading and speaking orally while discouraging sign language
what is historical linguistics?
study of how language changes
what are taxonomies?
groups of languages classified together based on words that have same/similar meanings
what are 2 main causes for shift to modern English?
- invention of the printing press
- major shift in pronunciations
what can the suppression of local languages mainly be attributed to?
colonialism
what is language death?
total extinction of language
majority of languages are spoken by whom?
minority groups
what is language shift?
abandonment of language in favour of new one
what are digital natives?
grew up with computers
what are digital immigrants?
had to learn how to use computers as adults
what is speech act?
intention of an utterance; it may be different than the definition of a word (ex. sarcasm)
