Language, Communication, Cognition Flashcards
Language is made up of
a communicative systema and a cognitive system
A communicative system
Language is used to exchange information among humans
A cognitive system
linguists debate whether Language is a separate ability of the human mind different from other cognitive abilities, but it is clear that Language is a core element of the mind
How many languages are there estimated to be?
Between 5,000 and 7,000
Human language occurs as either
Spoken Language or Signed Language
Language is a cognitive system that allows
thought
Linguists often don’t care much about grammar or other standard forms of language, instead they take a __________ approach
descriptive
“Descriptive” approach
studying language the way it really is
“Prescriptive” approach
telling people the ‘correct’ way to speak or write
Not true languages
body language, programming language
Ferdinand de Sausurre said that
language is a formal system, linguistic signs
Linguistic sign
Units of language have dual parts, a concept and a ‘sound pattern’
