Introduction to Linguistics

Conlang

A constructed language.

Auxlangs

Languages made to exist alongside (auxiliary to) another language.

Philosophical languages

Languages designed to test out language.

Artlangs

Languages created as part of artistic productions.

Personal languages

Languages created just for the author, not for public consumption.

Codes and Naming languages

Groups of lexical items created to ‘add flavor’, not truly languages.

Reflexivity

The ability to use language to talk about language.

Displacement

The ability to use language to talk about things not present in the current environment.

Reliance on context

Language used is often linked to immediate environment and may not rely on context for meaning.

Arbitrariness

Linguistic form has no natural relationship with the object.

Productivity

The ability to create new words to describe new concepts and understandings.

Cultural transmission

Language is learned from others.

Discreteness

The ability to distinguish different pieces of language and recognize where a word begins and ends.

Duality

Understanding language at two levels: the physical level (sound) and the semantic level (meaning).

Modularity

The ability to produce and interpret language using different sub-systems.

Constituency

The ability to organize words into parts and replace them with other parts.

Recursion

The ability to repeatedly apply language structures.

Variability

A great deal of variety both within and between languages.

The Bow-Wow Theory

The theory that language developed through the imitation of sounds in the environment.

The Pooh-Pooh Theory

The theory that language developed through vocal responses to stimuli.

The Ding-Dong Theory

The theory that language developed by connecting speech sounds to the sound of nature.

The Yo-He-Ho Theory

The theory that language developed from sounds used by people to coordinate work.

The Ta-Ta Theory

The theory that language emerged from the use of the tongue or mouth to replace manual gestures.

The La-La Theory

The theory that language developed from play and song.

The Divine Source

The hypothesis that language is a gift from God.

The Natural Sound Source

The hypothesis that language imitates the sounds heard around them.

The Social Interaction Source

The hypothesis that language developed from human needs to work together.

The Physical Adaptation Source

The hypothesis that physical capacities of humans enable language.

The Tool-Making Source

The hypothesis that there is a connection between manipulating objects and producing sounds.

The Genetic Source

The hypothesis that a genetic difference in humans allows for language.

Performance

The use of a language.

Competence

The knowledge of language, either underlying or implicit.