Linguistics

Question 1

linguistic competence

Answer 1

is the system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language.

Question 2

linguistic performance

Answer 2

a speaker’s actual use of language in real situations; what the speaker actually says, including grammatical errors .

Question 3

performance error

Answer 3

The speaker has the wrong beliefs about the meaning of a word.

Question 4

speech communication chain

Answer 4

the speech chain describes the stages in speech communication when a message moves between the mind of the speaker and the mind of the listener.

Question 5

speech communication chain steps

Answer 5

1. Sender has a thought, the thought must be encoded
2. Selection of words - lexicon is inventory of words that represents your thoughts, you pull from it to form words/phrases and combine them
3. Following Rules - use syntax to properly phrase thoughts
4. Nerve Impulses - signals get transported through neural pathways to motor nerves
5. Muscle Movements - nerves driving our vocal muscles to produce sound which then activates the lungs, moves tongue to articulate, the lips, the hand, and your face
6. Sound Waves - when noise comes out you are producing sound waves

Question 6

noise

Answer 6

a sound of any kind

Question 7

lexicon

Answer 7

the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge. a mental repository of linguistic information about words and other lexical expressions including their form and meaning and their morphological and syntactic properties.

Question 8

mental grammar

Answer 8

the generative grammar stored in the brain that allows a speaker to produce language that other speakers can understand.

Question 9

language variation

Answer 9

Variation is a characteristic of language: there is more than one way of saying the same thing. Speakers may vary pronunciation (accent), word choice (lexicon), or morphology and syntax (sometimes called “grammar”).

Question 10

descriptive grammar

Answer 10

a set of rules about language based on how it is actually used.

Question 11

prescribe

Answer 11

state authoritatively or as a rule that (an action or procedure) should be carried out.

Question 12

Charles Hockett’s nine design features

Answer 12

1. Vocal-Auditory Channel
2. Broadcast transmission and directional reception
3. Rapid Fading (transitoriness)
4. Interchangeability
5. Total Feedback
6. Specialization
7. Semanticity
8. Arbitrariness
9. Discreteness

Question 13

mode of communication

Answer 13

The medium or channel through which communicative intent is expressed. Typical communication modes include natural speech, facial expression and gesture. Communication generally draws on multiple modes, such as vocalization, speech, gesture and symbols, and is referred to as multi-modal.

Question 14

semanticity

Answer 14

the quality that a linguistic system has of being able to convey meanings, in particular by reference to the world of physical reality.

Question 15

pragmatic function

Answer 15

a general heading under which terminology relating to the various areas of study of language use and interpretation is collected.

Question 16

interchangeability

Answer 16

Interchangeable parts, the ability to select components for assembly at random and fit them together within proper tolerances.

Question 17

cultural transmission

Answer 17

the way a group of people or animals within a society or culture tend to learn and pass on information. Learning styles are greatly influenced by how a culture socializes with its children and young people.

Question 18

arbitrariness

Answer 18

the quality of being based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.

Question 19

linguistic sign

Answer 19

an abstract structure whose instances participate in a linguistic system, or language.

Question 20

convention

Answer 20

a way in which something is usually done, especially within a particular area or activity.

Question 21

nonarbitrariness

Answer 21

the quality of not being arbitrary.

Question 22

onomatopoeia

Answer 22

the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.

Question 23

conventionalized

Answer 23

using artistic forms and conventions to create effects; not natural or spontaneous.

Question 24

discreteness

Answer 24

apart or detached from others; separate; distinct: six discrete parts. consisting of or characterized by distinct or individual parts; discontinuous.

Question 25

displacement

Answer 25

the moving of something from its place or position.

Question 26

productivity

Answer 26

the effectiveness of productive effort, especially in industry, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.

Question 27

modality

Answer 27

a particular mode in which something exists or is experienced or expressed.

Question 28

myths about signed languages (list 4)

Answer 28

Myth 1- sign language is universal
Myth 2- the Deaf can understand your spoken language by lip reading
Myth 3- if you’re talking to a Deaf person, speak slowly so they can understand you
Myth 4- it’s effective to write notes back and forth to communicate with the Deaf.

Question 29

differences between codes and languages (list 4)

Answer 29

1. difference between code and language is that code normally tends to be more schematic, more conforming to a certain standard, and less prone to have ambiguity than natural languages.
2. the specification of a coding language, though, is usually much stricter and clearer than that of a natural language. This results in code that is clear in meaning and generally simpler in syntax.
3. another feature of “code” in the normal sense is that it’s usually either imperative (the classic C/C++, Java, Python, Ruby, etc) or declarative (HTML, CSS, Lisp, etc), whereas in natural languages, all clauses of imperative, declarative, and interrogative forms are used.
4. codes are particular “grammars” of specific tongues: rules for constructing and deriving words and sentences, inventories of sounds to convey meaning, rules for uttering those sounds, rules for translating those sounds into graphic symbols (writing) etc.

Question 30

prescriptive grammar

Answer 30

set of rules about language based on how people think language should be used. In a prescriptive grammar there is right and wrong language.

Question 31

evidence that writing and language are not the same (list 4 reasons)

Answer 31

1. speech is spoken and heard, while writing is written and read
2. speech goes back to human beginnings, perhaps a million years ago, while writing is relatively recent, dating around 3200 BC
   3.

Question 32

evidence that writing and language are not the same (list 4 reasons)

Answer 32

1. speech is spoken and heard, while writing is written and read
2. speech goes back to human beginnings, perhaps a million years ago, while writing is relatively recent, dating around 3200 BC
3. writing can be edited, while speech is more spontaneous and can not be changed, once said out loud
4. writing does not exist everywhere, while there is many different languages around the world

Question 33

reasons some people believe writing to be superior to speech (list 3 reasons)

Answer 33

1. writing must be taught
2. writing can be edited
3. writing is more stable than spoken language

Question 34

iconic

Answer 34

relationship between form and meaning such that the form of a word bears resemblance to its meaning.