Linguistics Flashcards
What is linguistics?
The scientific study of human language.
When was the term ‘linguistics’ first coined?
1847
What are the three categories of linguistics?
Language form, language meaning, language in context
What does Dr William Stokoe have to do with linguistics?
He stated in the 1960’s that ASL was a language in it’s own right with its own grammar, syntax and semantics
What is gloss?
Gloss is a term used to break down the BSL language into components for analysis
Who benefits from learning BSL linguistics?
Interpreters, teachers of the Deaf, social workers, mental health professionals and people working in media
What are phonetics?
The study of the physical properties of speech - eg. non-manual features, lip patterns, etc
What is phonology?
The study of sounds/signs as discrete, abstract elements in the speaker’s mind that distinguish meaning (phenomes)
What are the 5 types of BSL phenomes?
Handshape, location, orientation, movement/direction, non-manual features
What is morphology?
The study of morphemes - the smallest building blocks of meaning in a language - eg syllables
What is syntax?
Sign order of sentences
What is semantics?
The meaning of sentences
What is pragmatics?
The study of how utterances are used in communicative acts, eg. waving fingers to fill gaps
What is discourse analysis?
The analysis of language use in texts (spoken, written or signed)
What are stylistics?
The study of linguistic factors (rhetoric, diction, stress) that place a discourse in context. The use of NMF’s show the differences between informal and formal.
What are semiotics?
The study of signs and sign processes, indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communcation.
What is sociolinguistics?
The study of family, educational aspects, social, ethnicity and regional areas in language
What is historical linguistics?
The history of languages and how they have changed over time
Which of these are BSL?
Cued speech, paget gorman, signed english, sign supported english, fingerspelling.
None of the above
What is an established lexicon?
Words found in a dictionary - ie words/signs known and understood by fluent signers, eg nouns. Understood on their own/without context
What is a productive lexicon?
These are signs created by signers using component parts combined to create a new meaning
What are the three types of verbs?
Plain, agreement and spatial
What is a plain verb?
Plain verbs do not move through space to show grammatical information. Eg. love, run, think
What is an agreement verb?
Verbs that move through syntactic space. Eg. ask, give, telephone
What is a spatial verb?
A verb that uses topographical space - Eg climb, drive to
What are the six sign types?
Frozen (established), productive, indexical, numbers, name signs, fingerspelling
What are the three types of negation?
Facial expression, head movement, negation signs
What are the four types of question structures?
Open, closed, WH questions and rhetorical
What are the three types of classifiers?
Size and shape specifiers, tracing classifiers, handling and instrument classifiers
What is a classifier?
A productive part of BSL vocabulary that makes use of handshapes and space to add meaning
What are the two types of signing space?
Topographic and syntactic spaces
What is topographic space?
It recreates a map of the object - eg placing things in a signing space like they are arranged in a room
What is syntactic space?
It is created in the language by putting two ideas together to create a visual image even though they aren’t really there
What are some examples of non-manual features?
Mouth patterns, facial expressions, role shift, eye gaze
