Linguistics Mid Term Exam Flashcards
Allophones
Phonetic Environment as a descriptive statement
/p/ has allophones [p(h), p, and p^]
Pot, Pith
[P(h)] in word-initial position
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Spat, Spin
[P] following [s]
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Tap, Flop
[P^] in word-final position
(^) Stands for the upside down “L” in the workbook.
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Phonetic Environment as a rule
/p/
V: Vowel
#: The silence at the beginning or end of a word
Footnote
Describe phonemes and explain how tie/die would be an example.
phonemes are a sound that functions to distinguish one word from another in a language. [tai] “tie” and [dai] “die” for example in English. The /t/ and the /d/ would be considered phonemes.
Affix
A grammatical element that is combined with a word, stem, or phrase to produce derived or inflected forms.
Prefixes
Bound morphemes that attach at the beginnings of base forms.
Ex. In English: Un - helpful
Suffixes
Bound morphemes that attach at the ends of base forms.
Ex. In English: Help - er
Infixes
Bound morphemes that are inserted into the middle of the sentence.
Ex. In English: abso - bloody - lutely
Identify the type of affix
Impossible
Im - possible
Prefix
Identify the affix
Singing
Sing - ing
Suffix
Identify the affix
Fanbloodytastic
Fan - bloody - tastic
Inflix
Sentence tree
A detailed breakdown of a sentence using the format of a tree.
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Ambiguity
A sentence that can have multiple meanings.
Ex. We saw her duck
Could mean she is ducking to avoid something or they saw the duck that she owns.
Affix
For morphemes
Morphemes that attach to bases. Categorized by where they are attached to base morphemes.
Morphemes
smallest unit of meaning in a language.”unhelpful” in english has 3 morphemes
Bases
Morphemes that form the foundations of words.
Minimal pairs
A pair of words in which a difference in sound makes a difference in meaning. [tai] “tie” and [dai] “die” for example in English.
Other examples in English: Bet and bed, fan and van, disk and desk.
Theoretical Concepts of how language formed
Chomsky’ idea vs. Pinker’s idea
An opiniated question that will be on the test
Be prepared to back it up with evidence
Chomsky: Language is genetically inheireted (genetic endowment) to learning any language but not any specific one. It is essentially prebuilt into a baby’s brain while in the womb. A special adaptation in the brain.
Pinker: Gaining language is not an instinct. Language arose slowly through cognitive and cultural inventiveness.
Language Aquisition
Study of processes through which humans aquire language.
Do animals have language?
It’s your opinion. Just be prepared for the question on the test and be prepared to back it up with evidence.
Sign Language
An open-ended question that will be on the test
A question about the importance of it, why it’s unique, and your thoughts on it will be on the test.
Portmanteau
affix when two words are smashed together to create one simpler one
Ex: blog
Circumfix
an affix that is fixed to the beginning and end of the base
Reduplication
an affix in which the base is repeated slower than the first
Interweaving
an affix in which morphemes are woven into the base
Why is Sign Language important?
SL allows people who cannot speak or hear to participate in language and has also taught linguists a lot about how language is used and developed
What makes Sign Language unique?
it is a way of communicating via language without the use of sound. They are not alternatives to spoken languages nor do they depend on them.
