language

Language

A system of communication organized by rules that uses symbols such as words, sounds, and gestures to convey information.

historical linguistics

The study of the development of language over time, including its changes and variations.

language continuum

The idea that variation in languages appears gradually over distance so that groups of people who live near one another speak in a way that is mutually intelligible.

speech community

A group of people who come to share certain norms of language use through living and communicating together.

descriptive linguistics

The study of the sounds, symbols, and gestures of a language, and their combination into forms that communicate meaning.

Phonemes

The smallest units of sound that can make a difference in meaning.

Phonology

The study of what sounds exist and how they are used in a particular language.

Morphemes

The smallest units of sound that carry meaning on their own.

Morphology

The study of patterns and rules of how sounds combine to make morphemes.

Syntax

The specific patterns and rules for combining morphemes to construct phrases and sentences.

Grammar

The combined set of observations about the rules governing the use of phonemes, morphemes, and syntax that guide language use.

Kinesics

The study of the relationship between body movements and communication.

Paralanguage

An extensive set of noises (such as laughs, cries, sighs, and yells) and tones of voice that convey significant information about the speaker.

linguistic relativity

The notion that all languages will develop the distinctive categories necessary for those who speak them to deal with the realities around them.

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

The idea that different languages create different ways of thinking.

Lexicon

All the words for names, ideas, and events that make up a language’s dictionary.

speech register

The words and terminology that develop with particular sophistication to describe the unique cultural realities experienced by a group of people.

Sociolinguistics

The study of the ways culture shapes language and language shapes culture, particularly the intersection of language with cultural categories and systems of power such as age, race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and class.

Dialect

A nonstandard variation of a language.

prestige language

A particular language variation or way of speaking that is associated with wealth, success, education, and power.

language ideology

Beliefs and conceptions about language that often serve to rationalize and justify patterns of stratification and inequality.

code switching

Switching back and forth between one linguistic variant and another or one language and another depending on the cultural context.

language loss

The extinction of languages that have very few speakers.