Linguistics Vocabulary & Terminology Flashcards
linguistic competence
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.
linguistic performance
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.
performance error
Performance errors are those errors made by learners when they are tired or hurried
speech communication chain
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.
speech communication chain steps
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.
noise
a sound, especially one that is loud or unpleasant or that causes disturbance.
lexicon
the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge.
mental grammar
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.
language variation
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.
descriptive grammar
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.
evidence that writing and language are not the same
- 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
reasons some people believe writing to be superior to speech
- 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
prescriptive grammar
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.
prescribe
- recommend (a substance or action) as something beneficial.
- state authoritatively or as a rule that (an action or procedure) should be carried out.
Charles Hockett’s nine design features
- Vocal-auditory channel: sounds emitted from the mouth and perceived by the
auditory system - Rapid fading (transitoriness): Signal last a short time. This is true of all systems
involving sound. - Interchangeability: All utterances that are understood can be produced.
- Total feedback: The sender of a message also perceives the message. That is, you
hear what you say. - Specialization: The signal produced is specialized for communication and is not the
side effect of some other behavior. - Semanticity: There is a fixed relationship between a signal and a meaning.
- 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. - 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. - Displacement: Communicating about things or events that are distant in time or
space.
mode of communication
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.
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
‘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.
interchangeability
- 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.
- 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.
cultural transmission
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.
arbitrariness
- 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.
- the quality of being based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.
- a lack of restraint in the use of authority; autocracy
linguistic sign
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.
convention
- 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.
- a way in which something is usually done, especially within a particular area or activity.
non arbitrariness
Not subject to individual determination.
