Functions of language Flashcards
Three realities of language
SCG –> Social, cognitive, genetic
Social reality - social group
- language acquisition through cultural transmission.
- learned and used in a social environment
- children require linguistic stimuli to acquire language
cognitive reality - individual
- cultural transmission and genetic inheritance
- can possess knowledge of a language
- produce and interpret linguistic objects
- tacit knowledge eg. turning statement into question
genetic reality - for the species
- language acquisition through genetic inheritance
- humans innate (natural) capacity for language
- children develop native lang without explicit instruction
- acquire language through exposure in infancy
Linguistic competence (knowledge of language)
PSS –> pragmatic, semantic, structural
Pragmatic competence
- communicative
- knowledge
–> do things with language (jokes, speak)
–> select linguistic expression for purpose/situation
–> interpret speakers intentions via language
example - asking for the time requires yes/no and response
semantic competence
- meaning
- knowledge of what linguistic expressions mean (words, phrases, sentences
- these mean something, about something, call something to mind
EG - procrastinate - to put things off
structural competence
- grammatical
- knowledge of what is/isn’t a possible form in given lang
- speakers distinguish well from ill-formed expressions
EG syntax
cfc
Knowledge
context
form - grammar
content
Form + content
- semantics
- relation between form and content asks what language is about
Form + context + content
- pragmatics
- form-content pairing (words, sentences) in particular contexts for particular effects
overall function ideas
- language as a system of signs
- language as communication
- language as species specific
Two functions + purpose
- Social
- Individual-centred
to organise cooperation, maintain social order, life skills to generations
Social functions
aka interpersonal
- communicative - representative, directive, ritual functions
- emblematic - marker of group identity
A. Communicative
- transmission of content to others
- transfer of something from one individual (source) to another (destination)
Communicative - giving vs communication
- giving - transfer is of a concrete object
- communication - transfer of a message
3 Functions of a message
- representative - represents something about the world (real or imagined). comment, describe, state of affairs.
example - home is girt by sea. - directive - manipulate, encourage or direct someone to do something.
example - please open the window. where are we going? - ritual social - serve a social purpose
example - hi how are you? good, and you? good.
non-linguistic communication
natural language can be spoken, written, signed
gesture, movement
B. Emblematic
language as a marker of group identity
- Homo sapiens organised into groups
- eg. ethnic, religious, schools, age, sports
Examples
- nations can have official language Aus eng
- national identity with language - Hindi and Urdu are mutually intelligible, but referred to as seperate languages
- some political contention
- Individual-centred functions
- cognitive - internal self-talk
- emotive - articulating speaker’s emotional state
A. Cognitive
- self-talk as silent internal monologue
- not all directed towards others
- procedural knowledge - how to perform tasks
B. Emotive
language reflecting speaker’s emotional state
- frequently utterance when speaker is alone
- reinforce or punctuate the speaker’s feelings
eg. stubbed toe, OUCH!
