1 / 19

WHAT IS LANGUAGE?

WHAT IS LANGUAGE?. Introduction to Linguistics. WHAT IS LANGUAGE?. The design features of a language (Charles Hockett). Mode of communication Semanticity Pragmatic function Interchangeability Cultural transmission Arbitrariness Discreteness Displacement Productivity. Arbitrariness.

urvi
Download Presentation

WHAT IS LANGUAGE?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. WHAT IS LANGUAGE? Introduction to Linguistics

  2. WHAT IS LANGUAGE?

  3. The design features of a language (Charles Hockett) • Mode of communication • Semanticity • Pragmatic function • Interchangeability • Cultural transmission • Arbitrariness • Discreteness • Displacement • Productivity

  4. Arbitrariness

  5. Evidence for arbitrariness

  6. Discreteness/duality of patterning

  7. Productivity • All human languages use a finite set of linguistic data to generate an infinite set of possible sentences – the creative aspect of language

  8. .

  9. A mystery: where does language come from? (1) • Ding-Dong • humans make to mimic the sounds of the world around them. • boom = explosion • oink = the sound made by a pig. • Bow-wow • humans form their first words by imitating animal sounds. • It seems difficult to accept that humans learned to speak to one another by talking to the animals.

  10. A mystery: where does language come from? (2) • Pooh-pooh • the first words developed from sighs of pleasure, moans of pain, and other semi-involuntary cries or exclamations. • Uh-oh • human language begins with the use of arbitrary symbols that represent warnings to other members of the human band. • Yo-he-ho • language arose in rhythmic chants and vocalisms uttered by people engaged in communal labour.

  11. A mystery: where does language come from? (3) • Language is a human instinct • Human beings are born with the ability to speak language. • Universal Grammar (UG)

  12. Universal Grammar (UG) • Definition • The properties that all human languages share. • Feature • Innateness • Human beings are born with language ability. • Evidence • Children can acquire languages they are exposed to with ease.

  13. What does it mean by saying you speak Mandarin Chinese ? • Linguistically, you possess the linguistic knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. • Sounds • Words • Sentences

  14. Linguistic Knowledge • Knowledge of sound system • The inventory of sounds in a language • Chinese: [+l], [-r]. Lai, *rai • The possible arrangement of sound sequences • English: [nuk]; [snuk]; *[sknuk]; *[mnuk] • Chinese: [mau]; [myau]; *[aum]; *[yaum] • Knowledge of words • Form and meaning => arbitrary • Knowledge of sentences and non-sentences • All students love linguistics; • *Love linguistics all students

  15. Competence vs. Performance • Competence • What you know about linguistic knowledge • A perfect linguistic system • Performance • How you use this linguistic knowledge in actual speech production and comprehension • Example: • Competence: • John likes German cars. • Performance: You don’t • *John like German car.

  16. What is grammar? • What a speaker knows about language. • Linguistic knowledge, competence • Components • Phonology • Morphology • Syntax • lexicon

  17. Types of grammar • Descriptive grammar • To describe what you know about grammar • John is the person who/whom I met yesterday. • 暴露 [bau lou], [pou lou] • Prescriptive grammar • To tell you how you should use about grammar • John is the person *who/whom I met yesterday. • 暴露 *[bau lou], [pou lou] • Teaching grammar • Used to learn a language

  18. Do you agree… • Apes and dogs have their own languages. We just don’t understand them. • The Formosan languages (e.g., Paiwan, Atayal) are aboriginal languages. They are not as good as Chinese, English, or French.

  19. The truth is… • Wherever humans exist, language exits. • All languages are equal - no ‘primitive’ language

More Related