M4- Features of human language Flashcards
Who Quoted?
Language is not
only a construct, a
shelter, an edifice,
an abode, but the
soul of humanity
–a container of infinity.
William Burroughs
What is FHL? (Features of Human L)
Set of rules that defines human communication.
Set apart from animal communication
The signals used in language consist of patterns of sounds, produced by motion of respiratory, aural and nasal cavities.
Vocal-Auditory
Language signals emitted as waveforms, projected in all direction, but perceived as emanating from a particular direction origin.
BT DR
Broadcast Transmission and Directional Reception
Also Known as Transitoriness, pertains to signal lasting on short time
Rapid fading
All utterances that are understood can be produced
Receive and broadcast same signal
Interchangability
Hear and internalize the message you sent
Total Feedback
The signal produced is specialized communication not the side effect of some behavior
Specialization
Language enable us to talk with quite extraordinary precision about things not here rn.
Displacement
Language creating meaning through the combination of discrete units.
Dual structure
Dual Structure 2 levels
1st level- is phonemes, meaningless except ‘I’
2nd Level- Phonemes to words to larger grammatical units.
They are either one thing or another.
Language is constituted by a series of identifiable units, which may be combined or recombined
Discreteness
Discreet and Discrete difference?
Discreet → Careful, cautious, or private
Discrete → Separate or distinct
The units created on the second level- whether they are words or combination of words have __________.
Refers to something other than themselves
Semanticity
The meaning exists by convention rather than for any logical or motivated reason.
arbitrariness
Language can be easily used to withhold info (Lies)
Prevarication
Although language capabilities are innate, it is acquired/learned in social settings
Cultural Transmission
Language is used to talk about the world and our states of mind. It can also be used to talk about itself, that is, reflexively.
e.g
discussion of word meaning
Reflexibility
is the capacity to create a new items and new ways of combining them (to be creative)
Productivity
speakers of one language can learn to speak another. language is both teachable and learnable
Learnability
