How do linguists study language ?
- through history (roots)
- how language works in society
- grammar
What exactly do linguistics study ?
- human language as a system
- diff aspects of a language
chapter 1 : introducing linguistics
Definitions
linguist
Someone who studies foreign languages or can speak them very well/ Someone who teaches or studies ling.
Linguistics
Scientific studies of language
Language
System of communication.
Definitions
grammar
speaker's knowledge of their language/ the description of the structure of a language and the way in which linguistics units such as words and phrases are combined to produce sentences in the language.
To remember :
Linguistics observe grammar into several levels :
- phonetics = study of specific sounds, how they are produced and perceived
- phonology = the study of the patterns of sounds and language and across languages/ the establishment and description of the distinctive sound units of a language by means of distinctive features (high, low, back, round)
- morphology = The study of morphemes (the smallest units bearing meaning) and their diff forms (allomorphs), and the way they combine in word formation.
- syntax = The way in which words combine to form sentences and the rules which govern the formation of sentences, making some sentences possible and others not possible within a particular language.
- Semantics = Deals with the meaning without reference to the users and communicative functions of sentences.
- Pragmatics = The sutdy of the use of language in communication, in particular the relationships between szentences and the contexts and situations in which they are used.
Definitions
Dialect
A particular form of language which is peculiar to a spec region or social group (pronunciation, syntax... can be diff) -> for social, psycho, hist, and polit reasons ("a language is a dialect with an army and a navy")
Is the capacity for language innate ?
Definitions
Innateness hypothesis
Humans are pre-wired to acquire language (human brain is made to acquire a language but has to be expose to a language)
poverty of stimulus
Child- directed speech is simplified yet children learn to form questions with syntactically embedded material
Specialisation for language
Certain regions of the brain carry out primarily linguistic functions.
Role of human interaction :
- despite innateness arguments, the role of input and human interaction cannot be denied.
- Interaction is key to human dvlmpt - both early and beyond.
Definitions
Critical period hypothesis
The claim that there is an optimal period for language acquisition, ending at puberty.
-> During the critical period, language learning proceeds quickly and easily.
-> After this period, the acquisition of grammar is difficult, and for some people, never fully achieved.
