≈Nature and Function of Language (Outcome 1.1.1a) Flashcards
The functions of language (Crystal)
- Express emotions
- Social interactions
- Recording facts
- Express our own identity
The functions of language (Thorne)
- Referential
- Phatic
- Transactional
- Expressive
The functions of language (Mulder, Burridge and Thomas)
- Coveys information
- An instrument of action
- Maintains relationships
- An instrument of cognitive/conceptual development
Paralinguistics
The study of paralanguage.
Paralanguage
Includes accent, pitch, volume, speech rate, modulation, and fluency. Body language, gestures, facial expressions, tone and pitch of voice.
The context of language and 5 factors Principles of Appropriateness
(i) Field
(ii) Audience
(iii) Relationship
(iv) Mode
(v) Setting
PHONETICS
branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds.
Phonology
the study of speech sounds of a language or languages, and the laws governing them.
Morphology
The ‘rules’ of word formation
Lexicology
The study of words themselves (the collection of words in a language)
Syntax
The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.
4 main types if sentences
Declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamation
Declarative
make statements eg. I like balloons.
Imperative
Issues directives eg. Check out that balloon!
Interrogative
ask questions eg. Do you like balloons?
Exclamation
Express exclamation eg. Wow, what a beautiful balloon!
The MODES OF LANGUAGE
Written
Spoken
Sign
The distinguishing characteristics of speech vs. written language
Speech - Less highly valued in society. Social. Immediate feedback. Typically unplanned.
Writing - More highly valued in society. Solitary. Not Immediate feedback. Typically planned.
What makes human communication unique
(a) Spontaneity and Displacement
(b) Arbitrariness
(c) Structure and Creativity
(d) Cultural Transmission
IDIOM
a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase.
Slang
informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing.
4 Factors that human communications unique
(a) Spontaneity and Displacement
(b) Arbitrariness
(c) Structure and Creativity
(d) Cultural Transmission
What is an ONOMATOPOEIC word? Provide an example.
creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. “Meow” “Rawr” “Crack” “Argh”
What is a morpheme?
Smallest units of meaning in language
eg.
Un-break-able=unbreakable
What are the three forms of an AFFIX? Provide an example of each
(i) Suffix - ful, able, ed
(ii) Prefix - un, pre
(iii) Infix - cup(s)ful
Why language is seen as a ‘mirror’, and what it is seen as a mirror of
The fact that language is influenced by culture
determiner
Before a noun - specifies quantity or offers clarification what the noun is referring to. eg. TWO cats, HER bag, THE teacher, NEXT class
