LING111 Notes p59

Speech has primacy

Humans have an innate ability to articulate speech sounds; writing is learned.

The linguistic sign

The relationship between an idea and its acoustic representation, involving signifier and signified, which is often arbitrary and based on convention.

Creativity in language

Finite words can be combined to create new meanings, demonstrating the flexibility of language.

Prescriptivism vs Descriptivism

Prescriptivism believes there is a correct way to use language, while descriptivism observes and describes language use without assessing correctness.

Phonetics vs Phonology

Phonetics studies the physical properties of speech sounds; phonology studies sound systems and patterns.

Speech synthesis

The generation of human speech by a computer, often utilizing phonetic constants and acoustic analysis.

Vowel sounds

Vowel space is defined by tongue height and backness; distinct vowel sounds can change meaning (contrastive vowel sounds).

Morphemes

The smallest grammatical unit in a language with meaning, can be free (stand alone) or bound (attached to a host); includes derivational (new words) and inflectional (modifying tense/number) types.

Syntax and Sentence structure

The arrangement of words in a sentence involves syllable structure, constituents, and overall organization governed by grammatical rules.

Speech act theory

The study of how utterances function as actions in communication, involving locutionary (literal meaning), illocutionary (intended meaning), and perlocutionary (actual effect) acts.

Language acquisition and Interference

The process of learning a second language can involve interference from the first language and is affected by a critical period hypothesis for optimal acquisition.

Globalisation of English and Linguistic imperialism

The spread of English as a global lingua franca is linked to cultural dominance and has implications for societal multilingualism.

Prelustionary

What the listener does