Lesson 1: Nature of Languages

purcom

It may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such system of complex communication.

Language

It is the study of language in any of its senses.

linguistics

The approximate number of languages that are spoken by humans today.

3000-6000 approx

Example of visual language

sign language and written language

It refers to the systems of signs for encoding and decoding information.

language

The term language is derived from latin ________ which means “__________________”

lingua which means “language, tongue”

General concept: language refers to the cognitive faculty that enables humans to _______ and _____ systems of complex communication.

learn and use

It refers to the passage that explains the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or other set of symbols), or a type of thing.

meaning

It refers to the term to be defined.

definiendum

plural of definiendum

definienda

It refers to the cluster of words that defines a term.

definiens

plural of definiens

definientia

17 types of meaning

SPLICESM FLIPTTADD

It refers to the sentence which means what it says. Also known as ‘utterance’ meaning (griffiths).

basic, direct, and exact

literal meaning

The meaning of the sentence is determined by a set of logical inferences, such as composition, subordination, etc. Also called 'taxis'. (Kies)

logical meaning

The sentence means what it is about. The 'reference' of a sentence, as opposed to its 'sense'.

denotative meaning

It's meaning is truth.

semantical meaning

The sentence means what it says that can be empirically confirmed or falsified (requires proof/empirically verifiable)

positivist meaning

The relationship between signs and their users. Context is very important and the meaning behind what was said is also important.

Pragmatic meaning

The sentence means what the author intended it to say. Also known as "sender's meaning"

Intentional Meaning

The sentence means what readers think about when they read it. It involve personal interpretation on the receiver's part/side.

Connotative Meaning

It refers to "what is communicated of the social circumstances of language use"

social meaning

The meaning is determined by metaphor, and not actual reference.

Methaporical meaning

It is related to connotative - the type of emotion the sentence invokes.

Emotive meaning

The sentence means what it is used for and what it does.

Functional Meaning

The sentence's meaning is related to what it doesn't say, to the range of possible words or sentences that could be said instead.

Type Meaning

The meaning is determined with reference to the situation or context in which the word is used. It is context dependent.

Diectic Meaning

The manner in which the word is pronounced or emphasized — it can change its meaning.

accent

It refers to the relationship between different signs.

Intralingual Meaning

It refers to "what is communicated by the way in which the message is organized in terms of order and emphasis"

Thematic Meaning

It ends to be described as the definitional, 'literal', 'obvious' or 'commonsense' meaning of a sign. It is what the dictionary attempts to provide.

Denotation

It is used to refer to the socio-cultural and 'personal' associations (ideological, emotional etc.) of the sign. Usually related to the interpreter's class, age, gender, ethnicity, etc.

Connotation

Connotations’ signs are more open to interpretation or _____________ than denotations.

polysemic

It is sometimes regarded as a digital code.

Denotation

It is sometimes regarded as an analogue code.

connotation