CHAPTER 4: Language Flashcards
language
a system of communication organized by rules that uses symbols such as words, sounds, and gestures to convey information.
a system of communication that uses symbols.
historical linguistics
the study of the development of language overtime, including its changes and variations.
language continuum
the idea that variation in languages appears gradually over distance so that groups of people who live near one another speak in a way that is mutually intelligible.
speech community
the study of the sound, symbols, and gestures of a language, and their combination into forms that communicate meaning.
descriptive linguistics
the study of the sound, symbols, and gestures of a language, and their combination into forms that communicate meaning.
phonemes
the smallest units of sound that can make a difference in meaning.
phonology
the study of what sounds exist and how they are used in a particular language.
morphemes
the smallest units of sound that carry meaning of their own.
morphology
the study of patterns and rules of how sounds combine to make morphemes.
syntax
specific patterns and rules for combining morphemes to construct phrases and sentences.
grammar
the combined set of observations about the rules governing the use of phonemes, morphemes and syntax that guide language use.
kinesics
(nonverbal communication) the study of the relationship between body movements and communication.
paralanguage
(nonverbal communication) an extensive set of noises (such as laughs, cries, sighs, and yells) and tones of voice that convey significant information about the speaker.
linguistic relativity
the notion that all languages will develop the distinct categories necessary for those who speak them to deal with the realities around them.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
the idea that different languages create different ways of thinking.
lexicon
all the words for names, ideas, and events that make up a language’s dictionary.
speech registers
the word and terminology that develops with particular sophistication to describe the unique cultural realities experienced by a group of people.
sociolinguistics
the study of the ways culture shapes language and language shapes culture, particularly the intersection of language with cultural categories and systems of power such as age, race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender and class.
methodological relativism
researcher position when recognize them as a culture that exists but it doesn’t mean they recognize them as ethical (idea/ mindset)
moral relativism
ideas and practices don’t reflect universal truths (position/ mindset) Morality and ethics are socially/ historically constructed. Morality and ethics are shaped by culture.
What are the 5 characteristics of language?
1- symbolic
2- arbitrary - (artificially created) lack of inherit relationship or meaning.
3- discreetness - units are put together to create new meanings. (like Legos) multiple moving parts.
4- abstraction/ displacement - can communicate about things that don’t exist or aren’t present.
5- creative/ productive - ability to create infinite new meanings.
dialect
a nonstandard variation of language.
prestige language
a particular language variation or way of speaking that is associated with wealth, success, education and power.
language ideology
beliefs and conceptions about language that often serve to rationalize and justify patterns of stratification and inequality.
code-switching
switching back and forth between one linguistic variant and another or one language and another depending on the cultural context.
language loss
the extinction of languages that have very few speakers.
