Intro to LING - Unit 1

Vocabulary flashcards covering the core concepts of language properties, grammar types, recursion, and linguistic competence from Intro to LING Week 1.

Linguistics

The study of languages.

Recursion

The ability to nest a structure inside of another.

Grammar

The mental or knowledge system of rules and categories that allow us to use and interpret language.

Prescriptive Grammar

Grammar rules imposed or suggested regarding how to talk by a culture or cultural group, such as instructing someone not to say "aint".

Descriptive Grammar

What a speaker actually uses and knows about a language, including slang.

Linguistic Competence

The underlying mental knowledge system of a language that allows usage and interpretation, distinct from performance.

Linguistic Performance

The actual execution or real-time use of language, distinguished from linguistic competence.

First Appearance of Language

First appeared 100,000 to 200,000 years ago, but more likely 50,000 years ago, supported by vocal tract, brain anatomy, and socio-cultural evidence.