Vocab and terminology 1

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

A deviation from accepted rules of a language made by a learner of a second language.

Question 4

speech communication chain

Answer 4

getting idea from one person’s head into another person’s so that both people end up with the same idea in their minds

Question 5

speech communication chain steps

Answer 5

1. Speaker- Person communicating
2. Message- what speaker is communicating
3. Channel- means by which message is communicated
4. Listener- Person receiving the message
5. Feedback-opinions from the listener to speaker
6. Interference- anything that impedes on the message
7. Situation- time and place

Question 6

Noise

Answer 6

a sound, especially one that is loud or unpleasant or that causes disturbance

Question 7

Lexicon

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Mental grammar

Answer 8

the grammar that human has in mind

Question 9

language variation

Answer 9

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”).

Question 10

descriptive grammar

Answer 10

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

Question 11

evidence that writing and language are not the same

Answer 11

1. people don’t write like they speak
2. people don’t write um and hm
3. language has been spoken way longer than written
4. there are more languages spoken than written

Question 12

reasons some people believe writing to be superior to speech

Answer 12

1. can be preserved forever
2. can maintain its originality
3. as people write they learn better speech

Question 13

prescriptive grammar

Answer 13

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

Question 14

prescribe

Answer 14

the practice of elevating one variety or manner of language use over another

Question 15

Charles Hockett’s nine design features

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

How messages in a system of communication are transmitted and received. E.g.: for humans, speaking or signing; for bees, dancing.

Question 17

semanticity:

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

pragmatic function:

Answer 18

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).

Question 19

interchangeability:

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

cultural transmission:

Answer 20

Acquiring aspects of a communication system thru’ interaction with other users of a system.

Question 21

arbitrariness

Answer 21

The meaning of a symbol/word does not define its shape.

Question 22

discreteness:

Answer 22

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

Question 23

displacement

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

productivity:

Answer 24

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

Question 25

linguistic sign

Answer 25

A classic model is the one by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. According to him, language is made up of signs and every sign has two sides (like a coin or a sheet of paper, both sides of which are inseparable

Question 26

convention

Answer 26

A linguistic convention is a principle or norm that has been adopted by a person or linguistic community about how to use, and therefore what the meaning is of, a specific term

Question 27

non arbitrariness

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Iconic

Answer 28

relating to, resembling, or having the character of an icon

Question 29

onomatopoeia

Answer 29

the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.

Question 30

conventionalized

Answer 30

to represent in a conventional manner

Question 31

sound symbolism

Answer 31

a nonarbitrary connection between phonetic features of linguistic items and their meanings, as in the frequent occurrence of close vowels in words denoting smallness, as petite and teeny-weeny.

Question 32

discretness

Answer 32

consisting of or characterized by distinct or individual parts; discontinuous.

Question 33

displacement

Answer 33

is the capability of language to communicate about things that are not immediately present (spatially or temporally); i.e., things that are either not here or are not here now.

Question 34

productivity

Answer 34

the degree to which native speakers use a particular grammatical process, especially in word formation. It compares grammatical processes that are ‘modern’ to more ‘unfashionable’ ones.

Question 35

modality

Answer 35

meaning having to do with the expression of possibility and necessity. A modalized sentence locates an underlying or prejacent proposition in the space of possibilities

Question 36

myths about signed languages

Answer 36

1. all deaf people sign
2. sign language is universal ( there are 70 variations)
3. signing is a form of English
4. If deaf children are taught to sign, they won’t learn to speak

Question 37

differences between codes and languages

Answer 37

1. codes are more strict whereas language is more free
2. codes can be a shortened form of language
3. a code can only have 1 meaning, but words can mean several things
4. codes sometimes need to be deciphered