WEEK 2 WHAT IS LANGUAGE

Question 1

linguistic competence

Answer 1

expressive and receptive language skills in one’s native language and knowledge of linguistic code specific to AAC, such as line drawings and signs.

Question 2

linguistic performance

Answer 2

the observable use of language; the actualization of one’s linguistic competence

Question 3

performance error

Answer 3

errors in language production or comprehension, including hesitations and slips of the tongue

Question 4

speech communication chain

Answer 4

the process through which information is communicated, consisting of an information source, transmitter, signal, receiver and destination

Question 5

speech communication chain steps

Answer 5

1. Think of what you want to communicate
2. Pick out words to express the idea
3. Put these words together in a certain order following rules
4. Figure out how to pronounce these words
5. Send those pronunciations to your vocal anatomy
6. Speak: send the sounds through the air
7. Perceive: listener hears the sounds
8. Decode: listener interprets sounds as language
9. Connect: listener receives communicated idea

Question 6

noise

Answer 6

interference in the communication chain

Question 7

lexicon

Answer 7

a mental dictionary of words

Question 8

mental grammar

Answer 8

the system that all speakers of a language have in their minds, which allows them to understand each other. The mental grammar of every language includes phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.

Question 9

language variation

Answer 9

the property of languages having different ways to express the same meanings in different contexts according to factors such as geography, social class, gender

Question 10

descriptive grammar

Answer 10

objective description of a speaker’s knowledge of a language based on their use of the language

Question 11

evidence that writing and language are not the same( list 4 reasons)

Answer 11

a. archaeological evidence (6000 years ago)
b. writing doesn’t exist everywhere
c. writing must be taught
d. neurological evidence (areas of brain)
e. writing can be edited

Question 12

reasons some people believe writing to be superior to speech ( list 3 reasons)

Answer 12

a. writing can be edited
b. writing must be taught
c. writing is more physically stable

Question 13

prescriptive grammar

Answer 13

a set of rules designed to give instructions regarding the socially embedded notion of the “correct” or “proper” way to speak or write

Question 14

prescribe

Answer 14

use rules and conventions to tell a speaker the way he should or shouldn’t use a language

Question 15

Charles Hockett’s nine design features (necessary for communication system to be considered a language) (list)

Answer 15

1. mode of communication
2. semanticity
3. pragmatic function
4. interchangeability
5. cultural transmission
6. arbitrariness
7. discreteness
8. displacement
9. productivity

Question 16

mode of communication

Answer 16

means through which a message is transmitted for any given communication system

Question 17

semanticity

Answer 17

property of having signals that convey a meaning, shared by all communication systems

Question 18

pragmatic function

Answer 18

the useful purpose of any given communication system

Question 19

interchangeability

Answer 19

the property of a communication system by which all individuals have the ability to both transmit and review messages

Question 20

cultural transmission

Answer 20

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

Question 21

arbitrariness

Answer 21

refers to the fact that word’s meaning is not predictable from its linguistic form, nor is its form dictated by its meaning

Question 22

linguistic sign

Answer 22

the combination of a linguistic form and its meaning

Question 23

convention

Answer 23

something that is established, commonly agreed upon, or operating in a certain way according to common practice

Question 24

non-arbitrariness

Answer 24

direct correspondence between the physical properties of a form and the meaning that the form refers to

Question 25

iconic

Answer 25

describes a relationship between form and meaning such that the form of a word bears a resemblance to its meaning

Question 26

onomatopoeia

Answer 26

the iconic use of words that are imitative of sound occurring in nature or that have meanings that are associated with such sounds

Question 27

conventionalized

Answer 27

the adjective to describe a convention in society

Question 28

sound symbolism

Answer 28

phenomenon by which certain sounds are evocative of a certain meaning ([i] implies smallness at times)

Question 29

discreteness

Answer 29

the property of communication systems by which complex messages may be built up out of smaller parts

Question 30

displacement

Answer 30

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 of communication

Question 31

productivity

Answer 31

the capacity of a communication system (unique to human language) for novel messages built out of discrete units to be produced and understood

Question 32

modality

Answer 32

mode of communication

Question 33

myths about signed languages (list 4)

Answer 33

1. Signed languages are codes for local spoken languages (derived from those spoken languages)
2. Sign languages are pantomime
   a. They don’t have internal structure
   b. They are completely iconic
3. Signed languages are universally the same

Question 34

differences between codes and languages (list 4)

Answer 34

1. a code is artificially constructed
2. a code represents another language
3. a code borrows its structure from a language
4. a code never has a native speaker
5. a language generally transmits information more quickly and efficiently