Language and Thought - Yule Flashcards
Parts of language
Phonetics (speech sounds), Phonology (phonemes), Morphology (morphemes, words), Syntax (phrases, sentences), Semantics (literal meaning of phrases, sentences), Pragmatics (meaning in context of discourse)
- Communicative signals
Behavior used intentionally to provide information
- Informative signals
Behavior used most often to unintentionally provide information
- Glossolalia
Also known as “speaking in tongues”, the production of sounds and syllables in a stream of speech that seems to have no communicative purpose
- Reflexivity
A special property of human language that allows language to be used to think and talk about language itself
- Displacement
A property of language that allows users to talk about things and event not present in the immediate environment
- Arbitrariness
A property of language describing the fact that there is no natural connection between a linguistic form and it’s meaning
- Cultural transmission
The process whereby knowledge of a language is passed from one generation to the next
- Productivity
A property of language that allows users to create new expressions, also called “creativity” or “openendedness”
- Fixed reference
A property of a communication system whereby each signal is fixed as relating to one particular object or occasion. In other words fixed in terms of relating to a particular purpose, ex. Animals with three basic calls.
- Duality
A property of language whereby linguistic forms have two simultaneous levels of sounds production and meaning, also called “double articulation”
- International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system that uses symbols to represent the sounds of spoken language. It helps people accurately show how words are pronounced, regardless of the language. These symbols cover all the different sounds humans can make when speaking, from consonants and vowels to tones and accents. It’s like a universal alphabet for sounds, making it easier for linguists, language learners, and speech therapists to understand and describe spoken language. Ex. the English word “cat.” In IPA, it is transcribed as /kæt/.
- Phonetics
The study of the characteristics of speech sounds
- Articulatory phonetics
The study of how speech sounds are produced
- Acoustic phonetics
The study of the physical properties of speech as sound waves
- Auditory phonetics
The study of the perception of speech sounds by the ear, also called “perceptual phonetics”
- Vocal folds/cords
Thin strips of muscle in the larynx (located in neck) which can be open, in voiceless sounds, or close together creating vibration in voiced sounds
- Voiced sounds
Speech sounds produced with vibrations of the vocal folds
- Voiceless sounds
Speech sounds produced without vibrations of the vocal folds
- Bilabial
A consonant produced by using both lips. Ex. the first and last sounds in “pub”
- Labiodentals
A consonant produced with the upper teeth and the lower lip. Ex. The first sounds in “very” and “funny”.
- Alveolar
A consonant produced with the front part of the tongue of the alveolar ridge (bony part behind the upper front teeth). Ex. The first and last sounds in “dot”.
- Dentals
A consonant produced with the tongue tip behind the upper front teeth. Ex. The first sound in “that”.
- Interdentals
A consonant produced with the tongue tip between the upper and lower teeth. Ex. The first sound in “that”.