LCC Midterm Flashcards
Properties of human language
-All humans have language
-All languages are structured & systematic
-Languages are structured of symbols that can be broken down into elements (syntax, verb)
Most crucial part of human language?
biological basis- bipedalism, the way our mouth is structured
What does creativity mean with language?
all languages could create new sentences
what is universal grammar?
everybody is born with the capacity to understand the ways that sentences and languages are built
What is infinite productivity?
When a person can add to sentences
What is displacement?
being able to talk about things across time and space
What is anthropocentric?
human centered
What is communicative competence?
how effective you are at getting the whole point across
5 basic components of language
Phenology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics
Phenology
sounds
morphology
the building blocks of words
syntax
the ways that different words are put together
semantics
meaning of language
semantics example
people have different definitions of the weekend based on when their days off are
pragmatics
the use/performance/practice of using language
four subfields of anthropology
cultural, linguistic, biological, archaeology
Anthropologist uses what approach
holistic
holistic approach is…
all elements are important
Anthropology is empirically based so…
all the data is available and replicable
What is culture?
the set of ideas, beliefs, values, and practices, remaining the same over an extended period of time that are shared by a relatively concentrated geographic area and learned through interactions with other member of that group
Cultural relativism
the idea that each culture must be understood on its own terms; every culture is an equally (no culture is better)
ethnocentrism
judging others and other cultures by the standards and values of your own culture rather than attempting to understand
anthropology uses…
theory
methods
analysis
research questions
more open-ended and flexible
participant observation
participating in the social life of the people and building rapport
rapport
building a sense of trust and a relationship
field notes can be…
writing
drawing
pictures
recordings
ethnography
writing about the culture. It organizes the experience of research
IRB
International review board
they make sure all studies are ethical before they get publishes
Elicitation
the process of learning a language by learning the body parts, colors, numbers
multifunctionality
humans accomplish a variety of things with language
6 function of language
expressive (addressee)
conative (reception)
referential function
poetic function
phatic function
metalinguistic function
Expressive (addressee) function
express the feelings/intentions of speaker
conative (reception) function
create feelings in addressee/hearer
referential function
basic communication of information, ‘just the facts’
poetic function
style of communication
poetic function example
sarcastic tone, volume of voice
phatic function
signaling or “keeping the channel open” - so an exchange between 2 people
metalinguistic function
language about language, clarifying
multimodality
humans create meaning in interaction through multiple channels or modalities, including speech, gesture, eye gaze, facial expression, movement, text, objects, and semiotic forms
semiotic forms
other ways of transmitting or representing meaning through symbols and other things
semiotics
study of signs and sign systems
signs and sign systems
some kind of unit, material or immaterial, that can ‘stand in for’ or represent something else
language is tied to…
concepts
signifier
sign
signified
thing the sign stands for
model is dyadic
always only 2 parts, signifier and signified
linguistic sign
meaningful combination of sounds (or letters)
linguistic sign links the…
concept and the sound pattern
arbitrary nature of the sign
no specific reason for any particular sound that is linked to a concept (or signifier to be signified)
resprentament
form the sign takes
Interpretation
how the sign is understood
object
the referent, what the sign is standing in for
3 types of representments
symbol
icon
index
symbol
a thing that stands in for another thing by habit
most conventional
icon
sign that stands in for something based on perceived resemblance/similarity
index
sign that refers to or points towards its object
index example
a professor speaking in academic language shows that she is highly educated
signs can be both…
indexical and iconic
whorfs hypothesis
language influences the way one thinks about reality
linguistic-relativity
mutually influential relationship between language thought and culture
who wrote “the reaction of habitual thought and behavior to language”
Whorf
linguistic determinism
language determines or defines thought culture
simple nativism
all major properties of language are innate, distinct languages are just variations on the same mental model
Do syntax and morphology occur in all languages?
Yes, but they do not occur the same way in every language
3 main strands of influence are?
-language in general
-language structure
-language structure-semantic categories
language and theory of mind
-attribute mental states to other people
- we start to understand that people interpret things differently
language structure example
pronouns
spatialization
we arrange things from left to right because that’s how we read things
linguistic determinism
the language you speak determines your thoughts
language acquisition
the development of linguistic skills from birth to adulthood
There can be no language without…
human interaction
language socialization
the process of becoming socialized or uncultured into the norms or behaviors of a particular cultural group and their uses of language and other signs
prelinguistic stage
birth-6 months
Start to repetitively make syllables, might ‘play’ with variation, might also begin to recreate intonation contours
first words/ one word stage
1 year to 1.5 years- 2 years
“Holophrastic”
begins to attach to sounds to words
Start to ‘solidify’ the sounds in their specific context
holophrastic
one word can stand in for a sentence
2 year stage
1.5-2 years to 2-2.5 years
-Vocabulary begins to expand (generally 50 words but growing)
-Syntax and semantics start to solidify more, but still different from adults
telegraphic stage
starts at 2.5 years
-More words strung together, but not typical sentence structure
-Most consonants and all vowel sounds now can occur
rapid acquisition
starts about 3 years
-vocab explosion
-At this time “pattern extension” ad trying out grammatical rules most noticeable
At what age has language been acquired
6
4 theories of language
-Innatist theory
-Behaviorist theory
-Congnitivist theory
-Theory Theory (or active construction of a grammar theory)
Innatist theory
language is hardwired in the human brian, or innate- babies are genetically encoded with built-in “core grammar” and rules make up a language acquisition device (LAD)
Behaviorist theory
children need stimulus of language around them and positive feedback to develop their language abilities.Language happens with imitation and praise
Congnitivist theory
-as intellectual/cognitive abilities develop, linguistic abilities follow- children have to learn conceptual ideas to understand language
-kids start to say uh oh when they understand mistakes
Theory Theory (or active construction of a grammar theory)
children are observing and analyzing the world around them (tiny anthropologists) and building theories about language around them
ways of taking
culturally learned strategies for deriving meaning (“taking knowledge”) from interactions, materials and signs in the world and everyday situation
language socialization is a…
life long process
basics of language socialization
-Acquisition of language is not taught solely by parents
-Acquisition of language does not happen in the same way around the world
-Learning a specific language system is closely connected to leaning cultural rules and becoming a competent member of society
Ways of taking
culturally learned strategies for deriving meaning (taking knowledge) from interactions, materials and signs in the world, and everyday situations
What the article “no bedtime story” means
In contexts where multiple cultures (or subcultures) come together, some “ways of taking” may be privileged over others
When does socialization stop?
never!
indirect communication
what is intended is not explicitly said, speaker avoid straightforward imperatives or requests, listeners must anticipate or “uncover” what is being said/asked
direct communication
speakers explicitly communicate their intended meaning
Communicative style
the way language is used and understood in a particular culture
What type of evidence did chancy (Socialization and “communicative style”) use?
Transcript excerpts of recorded interactions between mother and child
Recipient design
any conversation takes into account who is talking or being talked to
Turn allocation component
Things that indicates its time for someone else to talk
Turn allocation component examples
you know, right
basics of conversation
organized structure
sequential
rule-based
repair sequence
when there is a disruption to the flow of conversation and a person has to do something to get back on pace
repair sequence example
laughter, “you go”
