linguistics midterm Flashcards
What is a language
a rule governed communication system
what are the features shared by language and other communication systems?
systems use symbols
what are the features shared by language and other communication systems? 2
symbols are organized and used systematically
what are the features shared by language and other communication systems? 3
symbol forms may be arbitrary or iconic
what are the features shared by language and other communication systems? 4
members of a community share the same communication system
what features make a language unique 1
language is productive, the number of sentences that can be made is infinite, and new messages on any topic can be prodycesd at any time
what features make a language unique 2
language has ways of showing the relationship between symbols
what features make a language unique 3
language has mechanisms for introducing new symbols
what features make a language unique 4
language can be used for an unrestricted number of domains
what features make a language unique 5
the symbols can be broken down into smaller parts
what features make a language unique 6
more than one meaning can be conveyed by a synbol or group of symbols
what features make a language unique 7
displacement
what features make a language unique 7
language changes across time
what features make a language unique 9
language can be used interchangeably
what features make a language unique 8
language users onitor their use
what features make a language unique 10
parts of the system must be learned from otehr users
what features make a language unique 11
language users use the language to discuss the language - metacognition
what features make a language unique 12
lnguage users can learn other variants of the same alnguage
what features make a language unique 13
what features make a language unique 14
what features make a language unique 15
describe linguistics
the scientific study of language
phonology
study of the smallest contrastive units of language. study of how signs are structured and organized
5 parameters
handshape, palm orientation, nms, movement, location