Language & Grammar

1. Language & Grammar LI 2013 Nathalie F. Martin

2. Table of Content • What is language? • Review: Language (ability), Language (code) and Speech • Grammar Objectives: • See the study of language and grammarthrough a linguistic perspective. Reference: Language : A Preview (O’Grady, p. 3-11)

3. What is Language? Language is the method of ________ ________ ________ , either ________ or ________ , consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.

4. Language(s) • A language is more than a simple instruments used for communication: • It the can be the object of ________ ________ ; • It can also show ________ ________ between different people and social groups. • Etc.

5. Language, Languages and Speech • Terminology: • Communication • Language • Language(s) • Speech

6. Language, Languages and Speech

7. Language & Grammar Creative System Grammar and LinguisticsCompetence Reference: Chapter 1 (O’Grady & Archibald

8. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. A Creative System The Creativity Aspect of Language • Human language must be ________ : allowing novelty and innovation is response to new thoughts, experiences, and situations

9. Linguistic Performance: ________ this knowledge in actual speech production and comprehension. Linguistic Competence: What you ________ about a language. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. The Components of a Grammar

10. What You Know About Grammar Grammatical or not…? • The fish is swimming. • *Fish the swimming is. • ?Swimming is the fish. • *The fishing is swim. • He saw two dogs. • *He saw twos dog.

11. What You Know About Grammar • Knowledge of the ________ ___: Knowing what sounds are in that language and what sounds are not. • Knowledge of ________ : Knowing the sound units that are related to specific meanings. • Knowledge of ________ : Knowing how to form sentences.

12. Prescriptive Grammar • 1762; Bishop Robert Lowth; A Short Introduction to English Grammar with Critical Notes. • I don’t have none  • You was wrong  • Mathilda is fatter than me  I don’t have any You were wrong Mathilda is fatter than I • Many of those rules were based on Latin grammar. Latin was assumed as the respected scientific language in the 15th – 17th Centuries.

13. Descriptive Grammar • 1985; Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik; A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. • Based on a corpus of actual spoken and written English.

14. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. The Components of a Grammar • _____________ : the articulation and perception of speech sounds • ____________ : the patterning of speech • ____________ : word formation • ____________ : sentence formation • ____________ : the interpretation of words and sentences.

15. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. Grammar • « As youcansee, the termgrammarisused in a specialwaywithinlinguistics. A linguist’sgrammaris not a _______and itis not concernedwithjust the form of words and sentences. Rather, itis an intricate system of knowledgethatencompasses________ and ________ as well as ________ and ________ .»

16. The Truth About Grammar Generality: All languages have a grammar Parity: All grammars are equal Universality: Grammars are alike in basic ways Mutability: Grammars change over time Inaccessibility: Grammatical knowledgeissubconscious Reference: Chapter 1 (O’Grady & Archibald)

17. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. The Truth About Grammar:Generality • All languages have a grammar • Fundamental claim of modern linguistics • Can be________ phonetically, phonologically, morphologically, syntatically, semantically. • ________ and ________ languages • __________ and alsodifferent________ of the samelanguage. • Example:

18. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p.67. The Truth About Grammar :Parity • All grammars are equal • No suchthing as a ________ language. • No suchthing as a ________ grammar and a ________ grammar. • Since all grammars tell speakers how to form and interpret the words and sentences of theirlanguage. • « (….) languageanalysis must reflect the wayitisactuallyused, not someone’sidealized vision of how itshouldbeused. » • _____________, not prescriptive • Example:

19. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 7. The Truth About Grammars:Universality • Grammars are ________ in basic ways • All languages have: • Small set of contrastive soundsthat help to distinguishwordfromeachother; • Have more consonant soundsthanvowelsounds; • Anylanguagethat has an fsound has an s sound; • All languages have an ahsound (like in the wordfather); • Universalconstaints on how wordscanbe put together to form sentences.

20. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 8. The Truth About Grammars:Mutability • Grammars________ ________ ________ • Featuresthat are not universal and fixed are subject to change over time; • Example: • Negative construction before the 1200. • Ne + verb + not (or nawt) • For example: He nespekethnawt (He does not speak) • Negative construction in the 1400 • For example: Wesawnawt the knyghtes. • Now: • Notonlyafter certain types of verbs (ex: do, have, will)

21. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 8. The Truth About Grammars:Inaccessibility • Grammatical knowledgeis________ ________ • Largelysubconscious and not accessible to introspection • Speakers of a native language know whatsounds right or whatsoundswrong … but they are not sure how they know. • Example: • Pronunciation of the pasttenseending (sounds) of: • Hunted • Slipped • Buzzed • Explainwhywesay: