Linguistics Flashcards
linguistic competence
is the system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language.
linguistic performance
a speaker’s actual use of language in real situations; what the speaker actually says, including grammatical errors .
performance error
The speaker has the wrong beliefs about the meaning of a word.
speech communication chain
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.
speech communication chain steps
- Sender has a thought, the thought must be encoded
- Selection of words - lexicon is inventory of words that represents your thoughts, you pull from it to form words/phrases and combine them
- Following Rules - use syntax to properly phrase thoughts
- Nerve Impulses - signals get transported through neural pathways to motor nerves
- 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
- Sound Waves - when noise comes out you are producing sound waves
noise
a sound of any kind
lexicon
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.
mental grammar
the generative grammar stored in the brain that allows a speaker to produce language that other speakers can understand.
language variation
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”).
descriptive grammar
a set of rules about language based on how it is actually used.
prescribe
state authoritatively or as a rule that (an action or procedure) should be carried out.
Charles Hockett’s nine design features
- Vocal-Auditory Channel
- Broadcast transmission and directional reception
- Rapid Fading (transitoriness)
- Interchangeability
- Total Feedback
- Specialization
- Semanticity
- Arbitrariness
- Discreteness
mode of communication
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.
semanticity
the quality that a linguistic system has of being able to convey meanings, in particular by reference to the world of physical reality.
pragmatic function
a general heading under which terminology relating to the various areas of study of language use and interpretation is collected.
interchangeability
Interchangeable parts, the ability to select components for assembly at random and fit them together within proper tolerances.
cultural transmission
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.
arbitrariness
the quality of being based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.
linguistic sign
an abstract structure whose instances participate in a linguistic system, or language.
convention
a way in which something is usually done, especially within a particular area or activity.
nonarbitrariness
the quality of not being arbitrary.
onomatopoeia
the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.
conventionalized
using artistic forms and conventions to create effects; not natural or spontaneous.
discreteness
apart or detached from others; separate; distinct: six discrete parts. consisting of or characterized by distinct or individual parts; discontinuous.
displacement
the moving of something from its place or position.
productivity
the effectiveness of productive effort, especially in industry, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.
modality
a particular mode in which something exists or is experienced or expressed.
myths about signed languages (list 4)
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.
differences between codes and languages (list 4)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
prescriptive grammar
set of rules about language based on how people think language should be used. In a prescriptive grammar there is right and wrong language.
evidence that writing and language are not the same (list 4 reasons)
- speech is spoken and heard, while writing is written and read
- speech goes back to human beginnings, perhaps a million years ago, while writing is relatively recent, dating around 3200 BC
3.
evidence that writing and language are not the same (list 4 reasons)
- speech is spoken and heard, while writing is written and read
- speech goes back to human beginnings, perhaps a million years ago, while writing is relatively recent, dating around 3200 BC
- writing can be edited, while speech is more spontaneous and can not be changed, once said out loud
- writing does not exist everywhere, while there is many different languages around the world
reasons some people believe writing to be superior to speech (list 3 reasons)
- writing must be taught
- writing can be edited
- writing is more stable than spoken language
iconic
relationship between form and meaning such that the form of a word bears resemblance to its meaning.
