Vocab & Terminology

Question 1

linguistic competence

Answer 1

the system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language

Question 2

linguistic performance

Answer 2

the way a language system is used in communication

Question 3

performance error

Answer 3

when a slip-up occurs while communicating: stumbling over words, mispronunciations, etc.

Question 4

speech communication chain

Answer 4

the stages in speech communication when a message moves between the mind of the speaker and the mind of the listener

Question 5

speech communication chain steps

Answer 5

intention, meaning, utterance, articulatory plan, articulation, sound, auditory response, word sequence, meaning, understanding

Question 6

noise

Answer 6

anything that interferes in the communication process between a speaker and an audience

Question 7

lexicon

Answer 7

the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge

Question 8

mental grammar

Answer 8

a theory proposing that the ability to learn grammar is hard-wired into the brain

Question 9

language variation

Answer 9

there is more than one way of saying the same thing

Question 10

descriptive grammar

Answer 10

a set of rules about language based on how it is actually used

Question 11

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

Answer 11

1. speech is usually used for immediate communication while writing is for future purposes as well; 2. writing can use punctuation, layouts, colors, etc; 3. writing can be repeated and closely analyzed; 4. slang is typically only used in language

Question 12

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

Answer 12

1. writing is more permanent; 2. writing can be thought about before executed, speaking is is more impulsive; 3. writing usually contains less digresses

Question 13

prescriptive grammar

Answer 13

a set of rules based on how people think language should be used

Question 14

prescribe

Answer 14

relating to the imposition or enforcement of a rule or method

Question 15

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

Answer 15

mode of communication, semanticity, pragmatic function, interchangeability, cultural transmission, arbitrariness, discreteness, displacement, productivity

Question 16

mode of communication

Answer 16

the medium or channel through which communicative intent is expressed

Question 17

semanticity

Answer 17

the quality that a linguistic system has of being able to convey meanings, in particular by reference to the world of physical reality

Question 18

pragmatic function

Answer 18

a general heading under which terminology relating to the various areas of study of language use and interpretation is collected

Question 19

interchangeability

Answer 19

situation where two or more items are so similar in functional and physical characteristics that they are considered equivalent in performance and durability

Question 20

cultural transmission

Answer 20

the way a group of people or animals within a society or culture tend to learn and pass on information

Question 21

arbitrariness

Answer 21

the quality of being “determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle”

Question 22

linguistic sign

Answer 22

any unit of language (morpheme, word, phrase, or sentence) used to designate objects or phenomena of reality

Question 23

convention

Answer 23

a way in which something is usually done, especially within a particular area or activity

Question 24

nonarbitrariness

Answer 24

subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one’s discretion

Question 25

iconic

Answer 25

symbolic, emblematic, or representative

Question 26

onomatopoeia

Answer 26

the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named

Question 27

conventionalized

Answer 27

using artistic forms and conventions to create effects; not natural or spontaneous

Question 28

sound symbolism

Answer 28

the partial representation of the sense of a word by its sound, as in bang, fizz, and slide

Question 29

discreteness

Answer 29

consisting of or characterized by distinct or individual parts; discontinuous

Question 30

displacement

Answer 30

the capability of language to communicate about things that are not immediately present

Question 31

productivity

Answer 31

the degree to which native speakers use a particular grammatical process, especially in word formation

Question 32

modality

Answer 32

the grammaticalized expression of the subjective attitudes and opinions of the speaker including possibility, probability, necessity, obligation, permissibility, ability, desire, and contingency

Question 33

myths about signed languages (list 4)

Answer 33

1. all signed languages are the same; 2. they cannot convey complex ideas; 3. they are inferior to spoken languages; 4. it is not grammatical

Question 34

differences between codes and languages (list 4)

Answer 34

1. less prone to ambiguity; 2. code tends to be more schematic; 3. code is more stnadard-conforming; 4. languages can be more free flowing