Vocabulary and Terminology Module 1 Week 2 Flashcards
What is linguistic competence?
“Hidden” knowledge in language. The knowledge we maintain about a language.
What is linguistic performance?
The ability or act of engaging our linguistic competence.
What is performance error?
Mistakes that can happen in linguistic performance. Ex. not remembering how to pronounce a word or jumbling words
What is the speech communication chain?
The process that takes place in speech communication. From thinking of what to say to someone receiving the idea behind communicating.
What are the speech communication chain steps?
Information source, a transmitter, a signal, a receiver, and a destination
What is the definition of noise?
Interference in the chain of communication
What is lexicon?
The collection of all words you know, their functions, what they refer to, how they are pronounced and their relationship to other words.
What is mental grammar?
The mental rules for a language that an individual has knowledge of.
What is language variation?
Language varies from person to person, region to region, and situation to situation.
What is descriptive grammar?
Objective description of a speaker’s or a group of speakers’ knowledge of a language based on their use of the language.
What is evidence that writing and language are not the same?
1) Writing must be taught. Spoken language can be picked up naturally.
2) Writing is not inherent to spoken language. Some cultures only have spoken language.
3) Speaking is more spontaneous while writing can be edited.
4) Historically, archaeological evidence points out that writing progressed after spoken language.
Why do people believe writing is superior to speech?
1) Writing can be edited where speech is more spontaneous leading to the idea that writing can be “perfected”
2) Writing must be taught and is therefor looked at as a more “educated” way of communicating.
3) Writing is more physically stable, meaning that because it is physically written it is more preservable.
What is prescriptive grammar?
The socially embedded notion of the “correct” or “proper” ways to use a language.
What does prescribe mean?
To give a suggestion or opinion based on someones idea of what is “good” or “bad”.
What are Charles Hockett’s nine design features?
1) Mode of communication
2) Semanticity
3) Pragmatic function
4) Interchangeability
5) Cultural transmission
6) Arbitrariness
7) Discreteness
8) Displacement
9) Productivity
What does mode of communication mean?
The means which a message is transmitted and received.
What is semanticity?
The idea that it is a requirement for all signals in communication system have a meaning or a function.
What is pragmatic function?
Communication systems must serve some useful purpose.
What does interchangeability mean?
The ability of individuals to both transmit and receive messages.
What is cultural transmission?
There are aspects of language that we can acquire only through communicative interaction with other users in a system.
What does arbitrariness mean in language?
A word’s meaning is not predictable from its linguistic form and its form is not dictated by its meaning.
What is a linguistic sign?
The combination of form and meaning.
What does convention mean regarding linguistics?
A general rule or rule set for a language.
What does nonarbitrariness mean?
There is a connection between the form of a word and its meaning.
