Vocabulary 1 Flashcards
linguistic competence
what we know when we know a language; the unconscious knowledge that a speaker has about his or her native language
linguistic performance
observable use of language; actualization of one’s linguistic competence
performance error
errors in language production or comprehension, including hesitations and slips of the tongue
speech communication chain
process through which information is communicated, consisting of an information source, transmitter, signal, receiver, and destination
speech communication chain steps
- Think of what you want to communicate, pick out words to express the idea, put these words together in a certain order following rules, figure out how to pronounce these words, send those pronunciations to your vocal anatomy, Speak: send the sounds through the air, perceive: listener hears the sounds, decode: listener interprets the sounds as language, connect: listener receives communicated idea
noise
interference in the communication chain
lexicon
a mental repository of linguistic information about words and other expressions that include their form, meaning, morphological, and syntactic properties. As a part of a descriptive, non-mental, grammar, it is the representation of the mental lexicon, consisting of entries that capture the relevant properties of lexical expressions
mental grammar
mental representation of grammar; knowledge that a speaker has about the linguistic units and rules of his native language
language variation
property of languages having different ways to express the same meanings in different contexts according to factors such as geography, social class, gender, etc.
descriptive grammar
objective description of a speaker’s knowledge of a language based on their use of the language
evidence that writing and language are not the same (4)
- Writing does not exist everywhere
- Writing must be taught
- Processing and production of written language is overlaid on the spoken language centers in the brain
- Writing can be edited
reasons some people believe writing to be superior to speech (3)
- Writing can be edited
- Writing must be taught & is associated w/ education & educated speech
- Writing is more physically stable
prescriptive grammar
a set of rules designed to give instructions regarding the socially embedded notion of the “correct” or “proper” way to speak or write
prescribe
rules that tell you how to speak or write, according to someone’s idea of what is “good” or “bad”; mold spoken and written English to some norm
Charles Hockett’s nine design features (necessary for a communication system to be considered a language)
Mode of communication, semanticity, pragmatic function, interchangeability, cultural transmission, arbitrariness, discreteness, displacement, and productivity
mode of communication
means through which a message is transmitted for any given communication system
semanticity
property of having signals that convey a meaning, shared by all communication systems
pragmatic function
the useful purpose of any given communication system
interchangeability
property of a communication system by which all individuals have the ability to both transmit and review messages (as opposed to systems where some individuals can only send messages and others can only receive messages)
cultural transmission
property of a communication system referring to the fact that at least some aspects of it are learned through interaction with other users of the system
arbitrariness
in relation to language, refers to the fact that a word’s meaning is not predictable from its linguistic form, nor is its form dictated by its meaning
linguistic sign
the combination of a linguistic form and meaning
convention
something that is established, commonly agreed upon, or operating in a certain way according to common practice. When an arbitrary relationship of a linguistic sign and its meaning is conventionalized, the linguistic sign bears a constant relationship only because people consistently use that linguistic sign to convey that meaning
nonarbitrariness
direct correspondence between the physical properties of a form and the meaning that the form refers to
iconic
relationship between form and meaning such that the form of a word bears a resemblance to its meaning
onomatopoeia
iconic use of words that are imitative of sounds occurring in nature or that have meanings that are associated with such sounds
conventionalized
something that is established, commonly agreed upon, or operating in a certain way according to common practice. When an arbitrary relationship of a linguistic sign and its meaning is conventionalized, the linguistic sign bears a constant relationship only because people consistently use that linguistic sign to convey that meaning
sound symbolism
phenomenon by which certain sounds are evocative of a particular meaning
discreteness
the property of communication systems by which complex messages may be built up out of smaller parts
displacement
the property of some communication systems that allows them to be used to communicate about things, actions, and ideas that are not present at the place or time where communication is taking place
productivity
the capacity of a communication system (unique to human language) for novel messages built out of discrete units to be produced and understood
modality
means through which a message is transmitted for any given communication system; language w/ a spoken modality (produced w/ the voice and interpreted auditorally); language w/ a signed modality (produced with gestures of the hands, arms, and face and interpreted visually)
myths about signed languages (4)
- All deaf people sign
- Sign language is universal for all languages
- Signed language is shorthand.
- Signed language is a visual form of English.
differences between codes and signed languages (4)
- codes have no structure but borrows its structure from the natural language it represents
- signed languages evolve naturally and independently of spoken languages
- codes never have native speakers while signed language does
- signed languages are structurally distinct from one another and from spoken language
