Linguistics

Morphemes

The smallest meaningful unit of a language, especially within a word

T/F: Language is learned as responses to stimuli.

False

Phonology

The study of how sounds and sound patterns function are organized and function within a language.

Semantics

The literal meanings of individual words, morphemes, and roots, and how words relate to each other (such as synonyms or antonyms)

Syntax

How words and phrases combine to form well-structured, grammatical sentences.

Lexicon

The total inventory or “mental dictionary” of words, morphemes, and meaningful expressions in a language.

Descriptive grammar

An objective description of a language’s construction, how it is ACTUALLY used.

Prescriptive grammar

Publications meant to “improve” one’s grammar to be more correct or desirable.

Universal grammar (UG)

The “blueprint” that all languages follow, part of the innate capacity for language learning.

Phonetics

The physical properties, production, and perception of speech sounds.

Pragmatics

How context contributes to the meaning of a word or sentence

Form (signifier)

The physical or structural surface of language (sounds, words, and sentence patterns).

Meaning (signified)

The concept that a signifier denotes.

Onomatopoetic words

Words that phonetically the sound they describe, and are conventionalized to fit their language.

Words are more closely related by __________, not ___________.

Meanings, sounds

Recursion

The repeated embedding of a grammatical structure or linguistic unit.

Ex: nesting clauses

Linguistic competence

Knowledge of words and grammar.

Linguistic performance

Speech production and comprehension.

Morphology

The rules of word formation.