Vocabulary and Terminology

Question 1

linguistic competence

Answer 1

a speaker’s subconscious, intuitive knowledge of the rules of their language.

Question 2

linguistic performance

Answer 2

an individual’s use of a language, i.e. what a speaker actually says, including hesitations, false starts, and errors.

Question 3

performance error

Answer 3

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

Question 4

speech communication chain

Answer 4

model of spoken communication that highlights the transformation of an intention in the mind of the speaker to an understanding of that intention in the mind of the listener through processes that involve the Grammatical Code, the Phonological Code, articulation, sound, hearing and perception.

Question 5

speech communication chain steps

Answer 5

speech production, • auditory feedback to the speaker, • speech transmission (through air or over an electronic communication system (to the listener), and • speech perception and understanding by the listener.

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

Mental grammar is the generative grammar stored in the brain that allows a speaker to produce language that other speakers can understand. It is also known as competence grammar and linguistic competence.

Question 9

language variation

Answer 9

The term linguistic variation refers to regional, social, or contextual differences in the ways that a particular language is used. All aspects of language (including phonemes, morphemes, syntactic structures, and meanings) are subject to variation.

Question 10

descriptive grammar

Answer 10

A descriptive grammar is a set of rules about language based on how it is actually used. In a descriptive grammar there is no right or wrong language.

Question 11

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

Answer 11

1.Writing is usually permanent and written texts cannot usually be changed once they have been printed/written out. As for spoken language is usually transient, unless recorded, and speakers can correct themselves and change their utterances as they go along.
2. A written text can communicate across time and space for as long as the particular language and writing system is still understood.
Spoken language is usually used for immediate interactions.
3. Writers can make use of punctuation, headings, layout, colors and other graphical effects in their written texts. Such things are not available in spoken language, spoken language can use timing, tone, volume, and timbre to add emotional context.
4. Written language tends to be more complex and intricate than speech with longer sentences and many subordinate clauses. The punctuation and layout of written texts also have no spoken equivalent. However some forms of written language, such as instant messages and email, are closer to spoken language.
Spoken language tends to be full of repetitions, incomplete sentences, corrections and interruptions, with the exception of formal speeches and other scripted forms of speech, such as news reports and scripts for plays and films.

Question 12

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

Answer 12

1. writers are encouraged to speak to the audience and their needs. Speakers should do the same thing.
2. No long sentences. A written guideline is 12-15 words. Sentences in speaking are the same way. Use punctuation. Short and sweet.
3. Iteration and thinking are key to crafting a good message. In writing, this is done through editing. A well prepared speech should undergo the same process.

Question 13

prescriptive grammar

Answer 13

A prescriptive grammar is a set of rules about language based on how people think language should be used…. This can be done in an inductive approach, with learners identifying examples of language that doesn’t follow rules from authentic listening or written texts.

Question 14

prescribe

Answer 14

the attempt to establish rules defining preferred or correct usage of language. These rules may address such linguistic aspects as spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, syntax, and semantics.

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

When we use the phrase mode of communication, we are describing the way communication is expressed. In other words, we are discussing the method of communication. There are three modes of communication: Interpersonal communication.

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

‘Pragmatic function’ is is the meaning a speaker wishes to convey to the person they are speaking to

Question 19

interchangeability

Answer 19

Interchangeability Refers to the idea that humans can give and receive identical linguistic signals

Question 20

cultural transmission

Answer 20

cultural transmission is the process whereby a language is passed on from one generation to the next in a community…. Cultural transmission is generally regarded as one of the key characteristics distinguishing human language from animal communication.

Question 21

arbitrariness

Answer 21

arbitrariness is the absence of any natural or necessary connection between a word’s meaning and its sound or form.

Question 22

linguistic sign

Answer 22

A linguistic sign is an abstract structure whose instances participate in a linguistic system, or language

Question 23

convention

Answer 23

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 24

non-arbitrariness

Answer 24

have a direct, usually casual relationship to the things they indicate such as smoke is a non-arbitrary sign of fire

Question 25

iconic

Answer 25

a relationship of resemblance or similarity between the two aspects of a sign: its form and its meaning. An iconic sign is one whose form resembles its meaning in some way

Question 26

onomatopoeia

Answer 26

Onomatopoeia, the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (such as buzz or hiss).

Question 27

conventionalized

Answer 27

In linguistic terms, conventionality provides simpler communication than arbitrariness—or in everyday terms, actions speak louder than words.

Question 28

sound symbolism

Answer 28

In linguistics, sound symbolism, phonesthesia or phonosemantics is the idea that vocal sounds or phonemes carry meaning in and of themselves.

Question 29

discreteness

Answer 29

The idea of “discreteness” in linguistics basically means that even though language is produced as a “stream” (as in “stream of speech”), it can be broken down into meaningful units (such as discrete sounds), and those units can be combined in various ways to form larger units (such as discrete sounds like [p], [I]

Question 30

displacement

Answer 30

In linguistics, displacement 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 31

productivity

Answer 31

productivity is the degree to which native speakers use a particular grammatical process, especially in word formation. It compares grammatical processes that are in frequent use to less frequently used ones that tend towards lexicalization.

Question 32

modality

Answer 32

Modality is a category of linguistic meaning having to do with the expression of possibility and necessity.

Question 33

myths about signed languages (list 4)

Answer 33

1. Sign Language isn’t a “real” language. 2. There’s one universal sign language. 3. All deaf people sign 4. Signing hinders learning speech

Question 34

differences between codes and languages (list 4)

Answer 34

1. Codes tend to be used by machines, unlike languages which are used for people. 2. Codes do not have more than one meaning, unlike languages which can have multiple. 3. Codes take much more time to create, unlike language which can be more fast paced 4. Language can be formed different with the same meaning, unlike codes they can not have different codes and have the same reaction.