Vocab and terminology 1 Flashcards
(37 cards)
linguistic competence
The system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language.
linguistic performance
The way a language system is used in communication.
performance error
A deviation from accepted rules of a language made by a learner of a second language.
speech communication chain
getting idea from one person’s head into another person’s so that both people end up with the same idea in their minds
speech communication chain steps
- Speaker- Person communicating
- Message- what speaker is communicating
- Channel- means by which message is communicated
- Listener- Person receiving the message
- Feedback-opinions from the listener to speaker
- Interference- anything that impedes on the message
- Situation- time and place
Noise
a sound, especially one that is loud or unpleasant or that causes disturbance
Lexicon
the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge
Mental grammar
the grammar that human has in mind
language variation
there is more than one way of saying the same thing. Speakers may vary pronunciation (accent), word choice (lexicon), or morphology and syntax (sometimes called “grammar”).
descriptive grammar
is a set of rules about language based on how it is actually used.
evidence that writing and language are not the same
- people don’t write like they speak
- people don’t write um and hm
- language has been spoken way longer than written
- there are more languages spoken than written
reasons some people believe writing to be superior to speech
- can be preserved forever
- can maintain its originality
- as people write they learn better speech
prescriptive grammar
a set of rules about language based on how people think language should be used
prescribe
the practice of elevating one variety or manner of language use over another
Charles Hockett’s nine design features
- mode of communication.
- semanticity:
- pragmatic function:
- interchangeability:
- cultural transmission:
- arbitrariness:
- discreteness:
- displacement:
- productivity:
mode of communication:
How messages in a system of communication are transmitted and received. E.g.: for humans, speaking or signing; for bees, dancing.
semanticity:
The fact that a communication system’s symbols have a meaning or function. Although many humans communicate through speaking, a word-like sound produced with a human mouth has no semanticity if it doesn’t have a meaning.
pragmatic function:
The fact that a communication system serves a useful purpose. Hungry humans can use their language to request food. On the other hand, my cat’s shrieking does not seem to serve any useful purpose (unless we postulate that the cat intends to annoy me for their own amusement, which is entirely possible).
interchangeability:
The fact that a participant in a communication system can both transmit and receive a message. For example, Andy has exhibited interchangeability on a regular basis even if sometimes he seems to ignore the communicative messages i send him if he thinks i’m being obnoxious.
cultural transmission:
Acquiring aspects of a communication system thru’ interaction with other users of a system.
arbitrariness
The meaning of a symbol/word does not define its shape.
discreteness:
Language is made up of small, meaningful bits that can be combined to make larger, complex utterances — sounds combine to make words, words combine to make sentences
displacement
Talking about stuff that isn’t there. This includes everything from talking about a friend who isn’t with you to talking about the past or future to lying.
productivity:
The smaller units of a language can be recombined in infinite ways to create completely novel utterances. Related to discreteness but, hmm, more expensive — allows for creativity
