Intro to Communication + Linguistics Flashcards
Communication Definition
The process of exchanging information.
eg.
ideas, thoughts, feelings, needs
Encoding and Decoding Information
E- sending
D- comprehending
Language Definition
A rule-governed code or system which uses symbols (words)
Dialect Definition
Sub-category of a parent language
Uses similar but not identical rules
Symbol-Referent
Symbol/Sign: spoken or written “arbitrary” word
Referent: the actual “thing” or action
Onomatopoeia
“Literal Words”
Sound like the meaning.
Children often use these words first.
Language Modalities
Forms of language
eg
Oral
Written
Sign/Gesture
Written Language/Orthography
Orthography describes the symbols/alphabet letters/graphemes of written language.
Modes of Language
Receptive/Expressive
Receptive= comprehension/understanding
Expressive= convey meaning/production
Speech Definition
Verbal means of communication.
The result of planning and executing motor sequences and movements to create sounds.
Requires precise motor coordination.
Speech: Voice Quality
Rough, husky, clear, shrill, nasal, resonant
Speech: Intonation
high/low pitch, melody
Speech: Rate
fast/slow
Speech: Articulation
Production of speech sounds/phonemes
Speech: Voice
Use of
vocal folds (phonation)
oral cavity (resonance)
breath support (respiration)
to produce sounds.
Speech: Fluency
Rhythm of speech
Speech Percentage in Communication
40% via speech/language
Paralinguistic Communication
Assists language to communicate
Nonlinguistic Communication
Uses no language to communicate
Metalinguistic Communication
Discuss/analyse language
Extralinguistic Communication Examples
Affect- facial expressions
Gestures- body part movements
Posture- body position
Proxemics- distance
Prosody- duration/intensity/frequency
Speech rate- fast, moderate, slow
Pauses- hesitation, emphasis
Components of Language x5
Phonology- sounds of a language
Semantics- content/meaning
Syntax- grammar/word relationships in sentences
Morphology- units of meaning within words
Pragmatics- context of communication
Functional Components of Language x3
Form- what does it sound like, how does it work?speech sounds, units of words, word sequences
Content- what does it mean?
vocabulary, concepts, multiple meanings
Use- how is it used?
communication choices change in different contexts
Language Components: Form (x3)
Syntax
Morphology
Phonology
Phonology
Rules governing the
structure
distribution
sequencing
of speech sounds
and the shape of syllables
Phoneme
Speech Sounds
The smallest linguistic unit of sound that can signal a difference in meaning.
Phonetics
motor analysis of sound systems of a language
Syntax
Rules for word sequencing, and how words in utterances are related.
“Grammar”
Syntax: Sentence Functions
Sentences are organised by function:
statements/declaratives
questions/interrogatives
commands/imperatives
exclamations/excalamatives
Morphology
Internal structure of words
Morpheme
Smallest meaningful unit in a word
Free + Bound Morphemes
Free morphemes have independent meaning
eg. dog, hungry
Bound morphemes are grammatical markers that do not make sense on their own
eg. -s (plural), -ed (past tense)
Inflectional Morphemes
Change tense or indicate a noun number.
Plural- duck/ducks
Possessive- mummy/mummy’s
Present progressive- run/running
Past tense markers- walk/walked
Derivational Morphemes
Change word meaning with prefixes or suffixes.
Language Component: Content
Semantics
Semantics
Rules governing the meaning of words and word combinations.
Involves the vocabulary of a language.
Semantics/Word Representations
Words can represent:
items, attributes, concepts, actions
Words can represent multiple meanings dependant on context/situation
Semantics: Conceptual Development
Child semantics is dictated by conceptual development: what a child knows and understands about ideas, entities, and actions.
Size/Dimension- big, little, long, short, shape
Direction/Position- over, under, near, behind
Self/Social- happy, old, wrong, safe
Quantity- lots, few, some, full, empty
Time/Order- first, then, almost, morning
Semantics: Semantic Features
Learning words involves identifying similarities to other words- linked to knowledge of concepts.
Group- it’s a type of…
Properties- what does it have?
Action- what does it do?
Use- what is used for?
Location- where is it found?
Association- it reminds me of…
Semantics: Word Similarities
Synonyms share many semantic features.
Antonyms have a key different/opposite semantic feature.
Semantics has restrictions on word combinations with similar, opposing or redundant meanings.
Semantic Roles and Relationships
Roles
Agent: initiator of action: mummy
Action: event: throw
Affected/Theme/Patient: influenced by action: ball
Location: outside
Semantic Relation:
Agent + Event = Mummy throw
Action + Affected = Throw ball
Language Component: Use
Pragmatics
Pragmatics
The rules of language use within a communication context.
Pragmatics/Context Changes/Choices Examples
Context influences:
Choice of words
Amount of Speech
Topics
Turn-taking
Eye Contact
Prosody/intonation
Silence
