Linguistics 101

Syntax

correct structure to assemble words. “Grammar”

Morphology

the study of the bits of language that are linguistically meaningful

Morpheme

the peices or bits of language

Phonology

the part of linguistics that examines sound structures and patterning

Root

Morphemes or ‘bits’ of language that can stand alone (In unhappy, “happy” is the root)

lexis

the total stock of words in a language

phonetics

examines the precise details of speech pronunciation

Prescriptive rules

The way things ‘should’ be in language. This is what the general public is concerned with.

Descriptive Rules

What ‘actually’ happens in language. This is what Linguists are concerned with.

Received Pronunciation

“best English”, no regional or geographic variability

Regional/geographic Variation

Variation in language, accent, and speech sound based on region or geographic location.

McGurk Effect

When face movement does not match the sound heard. This is especially relevant in AI faces/avatars

How does Language “train” us?

some languages don’t require differentiation between sounds, so we lose the ability to perceive and pronounce them. (think of the Korean rice video)

Is language systematic?

yes, language is systematic

What is “priming”

Choosing specific language or tone to lead you to a specific answer. A good example is Loftus and Palmer’s 1974 experiment describing a car collision and how choice of language skewed results of perception of the same visual

Sentence structure is hierarchal, how can you represent this?

Tree or Box Diagram

Form

what a unit of language looks like. Particularly on the basis of its internal structure

Function

how a unit of language behaves within the structure presented.

Constituent

any grammatically coherent component part of a sentence or word.

Pragmatics

The study in which context contributes to the meaning of a word.

medium

channel of communication

mode

type of communication

register approach

how language is expected to be conveyed by certain occupations or in specific circumstances.

Linguistic variable

The natural bounds of language variation. These are signaled by points in which language can vary. eg. different word/sentance structure, same meaning, different social implications (did not vs aint, I am not coming vs I aint comin)

What is Language?

Language is a code that allows us to represent thoughts and ideas by means of sounds or letters.

Articulatory Linguistics

how sound is produced. mouth shapes/ tongue placement

Auditory Linguistics

How the sound is perceived.

Accent Variation

The differences in pronunciation, speech patterns, and dialects among speakers of a language.

Lexical set

A key word which represents a particular vowel. The key word stands for all words with the same vowel sound.

Systemic Differences

Differences in phonological systems between accents that affect meaning— one accent can distinguish sounds that others cannot

Relisational Differences