Linguistics Vocabulary & Terminology

Question 1

linguistic competence

Answer 1

Linguistic competence is the system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language. It is distinguished from linguistic performance, which is the way a language system is used in communication.

Question 2

linguistic performance

Answer 2

The term linguistic performance was used by Noam Chomsky in 1960 to describe “the actual use of language in concrete situations”. It is used to describe both the production, sometimes called parole, as well as the comprehension of language.

Question 3

performance error

Answer 3

Performance errors are those errors made by learners when they are tired or hurried

Question 4

speech communication chain

Answer 4

The Speech Chain is a simple model of spoken communication that highlights the transformation of an intention in the mind of the speaker to an understanding of that intention in the mind of the listener through processes that involve the Grammatical Code, the Phonological Code, articulation, sound, hearing and perception.

Question 5

speech communication chain steps

Answer 5

The Speech Chain comprises the processes of: • speech production, • auditory feedback to the speaker, • speech transmission (through air or over an electronic communication system (to the listener), and • speech perception and understanding by the listener.

Question 6

noise

Answer 6

a sound, especially one that is loud or unpleasant or that causes disturbance.

Question 7

lexicon

Answer 7

the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge.

Question 8

mental grammar

Answer 8

Mental grammar is the generative grammar stored in the brain that allows a speaker to produce language that other speakers can understand. It is also known as competence grammar and linguistic competence. It contrasts with linguistic performance, which is the correctness of actual language use according to a language’s prescribed rules.

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, word choice, or morphology and syntax.

Question 10

descriptive grammar

Answer 10

In the study of language, description or descriptive linguistics is the work of objectively analyzing and describing how language is actually used by a speech community.

Question 11

evidence that writing and language are not the same

Answer 11

• language uses greater repetition of words and phrases to emphasize ideas
• language has shorter thought units that are easy to follow
• writing has more complicated sentence structures
• writing has more formal tone and infrequent use of colloquialisms

Question 12

reasons some people believe writing to be superior to speech

Answer 12

• written language is able to be recorded and documented for future reference and academic purposes
• written language involves more careful choice of words, and organized sentence structure
• written language is more valid and reliable than speech

Question 13

prescriptive grammar

Answer 13

Linguistic prescription, or prescriptive grammar, is the attempt to establish rules defining preferred or correct use of language. These rules may address such linguistic aspects as spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, syntax, and semantics.

Question 14

prescribe

Answer 14

1. recommend (a substance or action) as something beneficial.
2. state authoritatively or as a rule that (an action or procedure) should be carried out.

Question 15

Charles Hockett’s nine design features

Answer 15

1. Vocal-auditory channel: sounds emitted from the mouth and perceived by the
   auditory system
2. Rapid fading (transitoriness): Signal last a short time. This is true of all systems
   involving sound.
3. Interchangeability: All utterances that are understood can be produced.
4. Total feedback: The sender of a message also perceives the message. That is, you
   hear what you say.
5. Specialization: The signal produced is specialized for communication and is not the
   side effect of some other behavior.
6. Semanticity: There is a fixed relationship between a signal and a meaning.
7. Arbitrariness: There is an arbitrary relationship between a signal and its meaning.
   That is, the signal is related to the meaning by convention or by instinct but has
   no inherent relationship with the meaning.
8. Discreteness: Language can be said to be built up from discrete units (e.g.,
   phonemes in human language). Exchanging such discrete units causes a change in
   the meaning of a signal. This is an abrupt change, rather than a continuous change
   of meaning.
9. Displacement: Communicating about things or events that are distant in time or
   space.

Question 16

mode of communication

Answer 16

The medium or channel through which communicative intent is expressed. Typical communication modes include natural speech, facial expression and gesture. Exceptional communication modes include the use of graphic symbols or synthetic speech.

Question 17

semanticity

Answer 17

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

Question 18

pragmatic function

Answer 18

‘Pragmatic function’ is is the meaning a speaker wishes to convey to the person they are speaking to (the addressee). Now usually the meaning of the individual words will give the addressee the meaning that the speaker wants to give, but NOT always.

Question 19

interchangeability

Answer 19

1. Interchangeability Refers to the idea that humans can give and receive identical linguistic signals; humans are not limited in the types of messages they can say/hear.
2. adjective. (of two things) capable of being put or used in the place of each other: interchangeable symbols. (of one thing) capable of replacing or changing places with something else: an interchangeable part.

Question 20

cultural transmission

Answer 20

Cultural transmission is the process through which cultural elements, in the form of attitudes, values, beliefs, and behavioral scripts, are passed onto and taught to individuals and groups.

Question 21

arbitrariness

Answer 21

1. In linguistics, arbitrariness is the absence of any natural or necessary connection between a word’s meaning and its sound or form. An antithesis to sound symbolism, which does exhibit an apparent connection between sound and sense, arbitrariness is one of the characteristics shared between all languages.
2. the quality of being based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.
3. a lack of restraint in the use of authority; autocracy

Question 22

linguistic sign

Answer 22

linguistic signs are bilateral, i.e. every linguistic sign has two aspects which are inseparably connected: the sound sequence (signifier) on the level of expression, and the concept (signified) on the level of meaning. The relationship between the sound sequence and the concept of a linguistic sign is said to be arbitrary, i.e. predetermined by convention only.

Question 23

convention

Answer 23

1. A linguistic convention is a principle or norm that has been adopted by a person or linguistic community about how to use, and therefore what the meaning is of, a specific term.
2. a way in which something is usually done, especially within a particular area or activity.

Question 24

non arbitrariness

Answer 24

Not subject to individual determination.

Question 25

iconic

Answer 25

If something or someone is considered iconic, they’re very influential, recognizable, and revered

a relationship of resemblance or similarity between the two aspects of a sign: its form and its meaning. An iconic sign is one whose form resembles its meaning in some way. … The main question concerning the role of iconicity in language is whether a given linguistic sign is iconic or arbitrary.

Question 26

onomatopoeia

Answer 26

the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle ).

Question 27

conventionalized

Answer 27

1. cause to become conventional.

2. represent in a traditional or conventional way.

Question 28

sound symbolism

Answer 28

the partial representation of the sense of a word by its sound, as in bang, fizz, and slide.

Question 29

discreteness

Answer 29

The idea of “discreteness” in linguistics basically means that even though language is produced as a “stream” (as in “stream of speech”), it can be broken down into meaningful units (such as discrete sounds), and those units can be combined in various ways to form larger units (such as discrete sounds like [p], [I] and [t] combining to make the word “pit” or “tip.”

Question 30

displacement

Answer 30

In linguistics, displacement is the capability of language to communicate about things that are not immediately present; i.e., things that are either not here or are not here now.

Question 31

productivity

Answer 31

In linguistics, productivity is the degree to which native speakers use a particular grammatical process, especially in word formation. It compares grammatical processes that are in frequent use to less frequently used ones that tend towards lexicalization.

Question 32

modality

Answer 32

In linguistics and philosophy, modality is the phenomenon whereby language is used to discuss possible situations. For instance, a modal expression may convey that something is likely, desirable, or permissible.

Question 33

myths about signed languages

Answer 33

1. Sign language is universal
   Sign language isn’t a universal language. There are over 135 sign languages around the world. Even though the USA, Britain and Australia all share the same spoken language, English, they each have their own sign language, American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language (BSL) and Australian Sign Language (Auslan).
2. Sign language only uses your hands
   Facial expressions and body movement are vital and bring sign language to life!
3. Sign languages are easy to learn
   Sign languages are just as complex as spoken ones. Just like any spoken language, it takes many years to become fluent in a sign language. In order to learn a sign language it is important to interact with people in the Deaf community to improve your fluency.
4. 5. American Sign Language is based on English
      ASL is not a subset of English. The language arose independently and has its own linguistic structure. Signs are not always expressed in the same order as words are in English. This is due to the unique grammar and visual nature of the language.

Question 34

differences between codes and languages

Answer 34

A linguistic “code” is a medium through which signs are created. Computing and genetics also offer two cases where the definition of “code” cannot contain the operations they enable, without admitting to it the functions of a medium. In sociolinguistics a language may be referred to as a code. A code is a neutral term which can be used to denote a language or a variety of language, while language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.