Week 1 general concepts - Knowledge of Language Flashcards Preview

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1
Q

What are the 3 realities of Language?

A
  1. SOCIAL reality
  2. GENETIC reality (for species)
  3. COGNITIVE reality (for individual)
2
Q

Define SOCIAL Reality of Language

A

Lang LEARNED and USED in SOCAL ENVIRONMENT
- infants NOT “born speaking”, they are “exposed” to lang in social environment (NOT ACQUIRE IF NOT EXPOSED)
> Genie, 1979 age 13 virtual isolation. never normal develop after certain age

3
Q

Define GENETIC Reality of Language

A

Humans have INNATE CAPACITY for language

  • children develop their L1, NOT “taught”. Sufficient to be “exposed”
  • Puberty onward, WAY HARDER. LAD turned off at some point
  • all human lang = common features. Linguists study as LINGUISTIC UNIVERSALS
4
Q

Define COGNITIVE Reality of Language

A

INDIVIDUALS possess “knowledge” of a Lang
- enables them to PRODUCE + INTERPRET “LINGUISTIC OBJECTS”
> newspaper, convo, lecture, novel, poem, joke, songs, curses, txts

5
Q

What are the 3 Broad types of Linguistic Competence (knowledge)?

A
  1. PRAGMATIC (communicative) competence
  2. SEMANTIC (meaning) competence
  3. STRUCTURAL (grammatical) competence
6
Q

Pragmatic COMMUNICATIVE Competence

A

knowledge by which we DO things w lang - telling jokes, ordering lunch

  • allows us to SELECT ling expression APPROPRIATE to SITUATION
  • knowledge of social, interpersonal, context-specific realities that allow us to INTERPRET INTENTIONS
  • eg “do you have the time?” - “Yes!” not appropriate. it is literal response - prag allows us to know they MEAN “WHAT is the time”
7
Q

SEMANTIC competence

A

Ling Expressions - Words, Phrases, Sentences - have (propositional) content. THEY MEAN SOMETHING
- know what ling expressions mean

8
Q

GRAMMATICAL competence

A

Knowledge of what is/is not a “Possible” expression in a language - BASED ON FORM

  • Knowledge that enables us to recognise WELL-FORMED and ILL-FORMED expressions in that language

EXAMPLE (phonology)

zbishchu
- not possible english
> no english syllable BEGIN w /zb/ (only word-internal across syllable boundary - husband)
> /shch/ english not have 2 strident coronals together. only across word boundary - fresh cheese)

EXAMPLE (syntax)
-The iggle squiggs wombled in the harlish gloop
vs
- *Squirrels little the ooze in brackish the frolicked

9
Q

relations between 3 kinds of linguistic competence

A

viewed as TRIANGLE of
CONTEXT-FORM-CONTENT

FORM = Grammar

FORM + CONTENT = semantics

FORM + CONTEXT + CONTENT = Pragmatics