Vocabulary and Terminology

Question 1

linguistic competence

Answer 1

the ideal language system that enables speakers to produce and understand an infinite number of sentences in their language, and to distinguish grammatical sentences from ungrammatical sentences

Question 2

linguistic performance

Answer 2

the actual use of language in concrete situations

Question 3

performance error

Answer 3

an unintended deviation from the immanent rules of a language variety made by a second language learner

Question 4

speech communication chain

Answer 4

the connection(s) between a talker and a listener via an auditory, a visual and/or an electric channel

Question 5

speech communication chain steps

Answer 5

speech communication chain steps

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

the generative grammar stored in the brain that allows a speaker to produce language that other speakers can understand

Question 9

language variation

Answer 9

a characteristic of language: there is more than one way of saying the same thing.

Question 10

descriptive grammar

Answer 10

a set of rules about language based on how it is actually used

Question 11

evidence that writing and language are not the same

Answer 11

Writing is usually permanent and written texts cannot usually be changed once they have been printed/written out.

Speech is usually transient, unless recorded, and speakers can correct themselves and change their utterances as they go along.

A written text can communicate across time and space for as long as the particular language and writing system is still understood.

Speech is usually used for immediate interactions.

Written language tends to be more complex and intricate than speech with longer sentences and many subordinate clauses. The punctuation and layout of written texts also have no spoken equivalent. However some forms of written language, such as instant messages and email, are closer to spoken language.

Spoken language tends to be full of repetitions, incomplete sentences, corrections and interruptions, with the exception of formal speeches and other scripted forms of speech, such as news reports and scripts for plays and films.

Question 12

reasons some people believe writing to be superior to speech

Answer 12

Speaking is harder in many ways than writing because it is performance.

Writing must be self contained: there is no body language or vocal emphasis as everything must be in the words themselves

You can perform it again to improve on mistakes

When you finish an essay, it is done forever

Question 13

prescriptive grammar

Answer 13

a set of rules about language based on how people think language should be used

Question 14

prescribe

Answer 14

recommend (a substance or action) as something beneficial

Question 15

Charles Hockett’s nine design features

Answer 15

Mode of communication
Semanticity
Pragmatic function
Interchangeability
Cultural transmission
Arbitrariness
Discreteness
Displacement

Question 16

mode of communication

Answer 16

visual, linguistic, spatial, aural, and gestural

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

is the meaning a speaker wishes to convey to the person they are speaking to (the addressee)

Question 19

interchangeability

Answer 19

the quality of being capable of exchange or interchange

Question 20

cultural transmission

Answer 20

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

the quality of being based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system

Question 22

linguistic sign

Answer 22

an abstract structure whose instances participate in a linguistic system, or language

Question 23

convention

Answer 23

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

relating to or of the nature of an icon.

Question 26

onomatopoeia

Answer 26

the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named

Question 27

conventionalized

Answer 27

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

he state of being several and distinct. separateness, severalty, distinctness. separation - the state of lacking unity.

Question 30

displacement

Answer 30

the moving of something from its place or position

Question 31

productivity

Answer 31

a measure of efficiency of a person completing a task

Question 32

modality

Answer 32

a particular mode in which something exists or is experienced or expressed

Question 33

myths about signed languages

Answer 33

There is only one sign language
Sign languages are not real languages
All deaf people sign
Signing hinders learning speech

Question 34

differences between codes and languages

Answer 34

Code is a finite set of rules for getting specific outputs from specific inputs
Though language is sometimes a rule-based activity, it is not defined by rules — it defines rules and pretty much everything else