Language, Culture, and Society Lecture Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the nature of language, linguistic studies, World Englishes, human vs. non-human communication, language origins, and applied linguistics concepts like code-switching.

First Language (L1)

The language learned by a person from birth until the critical period, typically used in the home.

Second Language (L2)

A language usually learned after the first language that requires conscious effort, will, and familiarity with rules and functions.

Telegraphic Speech

A stage in beginning L1 acquisition characterized by simple phrases like "Mommy milk" or "Daddy walk."

Micro linguistics

A branch of linguistics that focuses on the internal structures of the language system in itself and for itself.

Phonetics

A branch of linguistics focusing on how sounds are articulated, transmitted, and received.

Phonology

The study of the functions and organization of speech sounds in a language.

Morphology

The study of word construction and formation, breaking words into morphemes; considered the grammar of words.

Syntax

The study of the relationship between linguistic forms and how they are arranged in well-formed sequences.

Semantics

The study of the relationships between linguistic forms and entities in the world, focusing on sentence meaning.

Pragmatics

The study of the relationships between linguistic forms and the users of those forms.

Macro linguistics

A broader view of linguistics focusing on how languages are acquired, stored in the brain, and used for various functions.

Psycholinguistics

The study of the mental structures and processes involved in the acquisition, comprehension, and production of language.

Sociolinguistics

The study of the relationship between language and society, exploring how social factors influence language structure.

Neurolinguistics

The study of language processing and representation in the brain, often involving language disturbances caused by brain damage.

World English

A term referring to the language used specifically in business, trade, diplomacy, and other international activities.

World Englishes

Varieties of English from different regions of the world, often produced by the influences of the United Kingdom or the United States.

Inner Circle

In Kachru's model, these are the parent countries of English (e.g., USA, UK) that acted as colonizing nations.

Outer Circle

Territories colonized by the parent countries where English is a second nonnative language (ESL) used in education and government.

Expanding Circle

Countries where English has no historical or governmental role but is used as a foreign language (EFL) for international communication.

Bilingual

An individual who is able to speak two languages.

Multilingual (Polyglot)

A person who can communicate effectively using three or more languages.

Lana Project

A $1970$s research project where a female chimpanzee learned to communicate using a lexigram keyboard with $400$ symbols.

Washoe Project

An experiment at the University of Nevada where a chimpanzee was taught American Sign Language (ASL) because chimps lack the physical ability for spoken language.

Koko Project

A project started in $1972$ with a gorilla who learned over $200$ signs and was taught vocal sounds besides sign language.

Displacement

A design feature of human language that allows speakers to talk about things in the past, future, or distant places.

Productivity

The ability of humans to create never-before-heard utterances by combining linguistic units.

Duality of Patterning

The feature of language where discrete parts can be recombined in a systematic way to create new forms.

Instrumental Function

One of Halliday's functions of language used for getting things done and satisfying material needs (e.g., "I want to drink milk").

Regulatory Function

Language used to influence the behavior, feelings, or attitudes of others through rules and instructions.

Heuristic Function

The use of language to explore the environment and seek learning (e.g., "Why do you like that song?").

Bow-wow Theory

The theory that language began when humans imitated the sounds of animal calls.

Genetic Mutation Theory

Noam Chomsky's postulate that language was created from a genetic mutation in a human ancestor.

Vocal Grooming Theory

Robin Dunbar's notion that language developed as a more efficient form of grooming as human communities grew larger.

Semiotics

The study of the life of signs within society, including images, patterns, and motion that convey meaning.

Signifier

In Saussure's structuralism, the physical existence of a sign, such as a word, sound, or image.

Signified

In Saussure's structuralism, the mental concept or idea that a sign represents.

LAD (Language Acquisition Device)

Chomsky's term for a built-in capacity in the brain responsible for creating and learning language.

Indo-European Family Tree

The common ancestor of modern English and many Western and Asian languages, consisting of over $200$ languages.

Old English

A period starting around $450$ A.D., influenced by Germanic settlers (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) and characterized by its relationship to Dutch and German.

Middle English ($1100-1500$)

A period of English characterized by heavy Norman and French influence in vocabulary related to the court, church, and law.

Modern English

The period marked by the introduction of printing, codification of dictionaries, and the Great Vowel Shift.

Ethnolinguistics

The study of the connections between culture and language and how we culturally behave based on the language we use.

Linguistic Relativism

The idea that language influences cognitive processes and defines how a person sees the world.

Code-switching

A strategy used by multilingual speakers of using two different languages within a sentence or discourse.

Inter-Sentential Code-switching

A type of code-shifting where the language change happens at either the beginning or the end of a sentence.

Intra-Sentential Code-switching

A type of code-shifting where languages shift in the middle of a clause without hesitation or pause.

Tag Switching

The insertion of a tag question from one language into an utterance of another language (e.g., "You are John, tama ba?").