LING 1010: Language and Mind Introduction

Flashcards covering key concepts from the LING 1010 Introduction lecture, including course logistics, misconceptions about language, and the nature of language, speech, and writing.

Language and Mind

A central part of human experience, allowing us to think, communicate, remember, and share thoughts by giving them a form others can decode.

Linguists

Scientists who analyze the human ability to acquire and use language, studying how this 'magic' is accomplished through scientific methods.

Language Misconceptions

Commonly held beliefs about human language that linguistic research has shown to be mistaken, often stemming from the familiarity of language.

Language as Human Biology

One view that language is a special, inherent aspect of human biology, likened to an 'organ' that all humans possess.

Language as an Invented Tool

A view that language is not fundamentally special, but rather a useful tool invented by intelligent humans, potentially correlating with technological sophistication.

Experiment of Nature (Linguistics)

Situations where accidental, dramatic environmental or historical factors (like isolation) create 'controlled' conditions to observe language development and sophistication.

Highlanders of Papua New Guinea

A well-known 'experiment of nature' example where isolated cultures with limited material technology spoke hundreds of grammatically sophisticated languages, like Yimas.

Material Culture and Language Sophistication

Linguistic research indicates there is no correlation between the material culture or technological sophistication of a group of people and the grammatical sophistication of their language.

Language (Linguist's Definition)

The internalized knowledge a person possesses that enables them to construct meaningful expressions.

Speech

A mode of sharing language with others that involves broadcasting sound shaped by the vocal tract.

Sign Language

A non-spoken mode of producing language, commonly used in deaf communities.

Writing

A cultural invention for sharing language that typically involves making (semi-)permanent visual marks; it requires explicit instruction, unlike spoken or signed language acquisition.