vocab 1

Question 1

linguistic competence

Answer 1

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

Question 2

linguistic performance

Answer 2

a speaker’s actual use of language in real situations; what the speaker actually says, including grammatical errors and other non-linguistic features such as hesitations and other disfluencies

Question 3

performance error

Answer 3

those errors made by learners when they are tired or hurried.

Question 4

speech communication chain

Answer 4

how we exchange info, using auditory/oral method to communicate

Question 5

Speech communication chain steps

Answer 5

1. Sender has a thought, the thought must be encoded
2. Selection of words - lexicon is inventory of words that represents your thoughts, you pull from it to form words/phrases and combine them
3. Following Rules - use syntax to properly phrase thoughts
4. Nerve Impulses - signals get transported through neural pathways to motor nerves
5. Muscle Movements - nerves driving our vocal muscles to produce sound which then activates the lungs, moves tongue to articulate, the lips, the hand, and your face
6. Sound Waves - when noise comes out you are producing sound waves

Question 6

Noise

Answer 6

Noise is a sound that has a psychological component (wanted or not) and a physical component (processed via the ear and brain)
Noise has to be detectable, can vary between people
Measure in decibels (dB)

Question 7

Lexicon

Answer 7

the vocabulary of a language, an individual speaker or group of speakers, or a subject

Question 8

mental grammar

Answer 8

the generative grammar stored in the brain that allows a speaker to produce language that other speakers can understand.

Question 9

Language variation

Answer 9

any form of language characterized by systematic features

• languages (e.g. Spanish, Mandarin, English)
• dialects (e.g. New York English, African American English)

Question 10

descriptive grammar

Answer 10

the way we actually use our language

Question 11

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

Answer 11

writing doesn’t exist everywhere
writing must be taught
neurological evidence (areas of the brain)
writing can be edited

Question 12

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

Answer 12

writing can be edited
writing must be taught
writing is more physically stable

Question 13

prescriptive grammar

Answer 13

a set of rules designed to give instructions regarding the socially embedded notion of the “correct” or “proper” way to speak or write

Question 14

prescribe

Answer 14

to lay down rules in which grammar should be used in language

Question 15

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

Answer 15

1. mode of communication
2. semanticity
3. pragmatic function
4. interchangeability
5. cultural transmission
6. arbitrariness
7. discreteness
8. displacement
9. productivity

Question 16

mode of communication

Answer 16

means by which messages are transmitted and received

Question 17

semanticity

Answer 17

the quality of language in which words are used as symbols for objects, events, or ideas

Question 18

pragmatic function

Answer 18

the useful purpose of any given communication system

Question 19

interchangeability

Answer 19

the ability of individuals to both transmit and receive messages

Question 20

cultural transmission

Answer 20

Property of a communication system referring to the fact that at least some aspects of it are learned through interaction with other users of the system.

Question 21

arbitrariness

Answer 21

a property of language describing the fact that there is no natural connection between a linguistic form and its meaning

Question 22

linguistic sign

Answer 22

the combination of a linguistic form and meaning

Question 23

convention

Answer 23

a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude

Question 24

non-arbitrariness

Answer 24

direct correspondence between the physical properties of a form and the meaning that the form refers to

Question 25

iconic

Answer 25

Relationship between form and meaning such that the form of a word bears a resemblance to its meaning.

Question 26

onomatopoeia

Answer 26

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

Question 27

conventionalized

Answer 27

following accepted standards

Question 28

sound symbolism

Answer 28

the process by which the way a word sounds influences our assumptions about what it describes and attributes such as size

Question 29

discreteness

Answer 29

the property of communication systems by which complex messages may be built up out of smaller parts

Question 30

displacement

Answer 30

property of some communication systems that allows them to be used to communicate about thins, actions and ideas that are not present at the place or time where communication is taking place

Question 31

productivity

Answer 31

capacity of a communication system (unique to human language) for novel messages built out of discrete units to be produced and understood

Question 32

modality

Answer 32

type of communication i.e. auditory-vocal vs visual-gestural

Question 33

myths about signed languages (list 4)

Answer 33

1. signed language is derived from spoken language. 2. signed languages are codes 3. there is only one signed language 4. deaf people will use sign language to communicate

Question 34

differences between codes and languages (list 4)

Answer 34

code is a artificially created system to represent a natural language codes borrow structure from natural language codes do not have native speakers codes do not evolve; language does