Intro to Language and Linguistics: Week 1

Morphological Ambiguity

• Example: frukosten in Swedish has five interpretations:

  • frukost+en: "the breakfast"
    This interpretation highlights the definite article attached to the noun "frukost" (breakfast), signifying a specific breakfast rather than an indefinite one.

  • frukost en: "breakfast juniper"
    In this case, the term suggests a specific type of juniper that is associated with breakfast, showcasing how context can change meaning.

  • fru kost en: "wife nutrition juniper"
    This interpretation shifts to a combination of meanings where "fru" (wife) and "kost" (nutrition) are taken separately, creating a phrase that emphasizes nutrition for a wife, resulting in a somewhat ambiguous yet descriptive term.

  • fru kost+en: "the wife nutrition"
    Here, the definite article indicates a specific aspect of nutrition, namely that which pertains directly to a wife, adding clarity to the phrase.

  • fru ko sten: "wife cow stone"
    This playful interpretation emphasizes the ambiguity by utilizing the words for wife, cow, and stone, ultimately creating a nonsensical phrase that illustrates the complexities of morphological interpretation.

*(Karlsson, 1995, p.28)

• +: Indicates grammatical morpheme for the definite article (the), which is crucial in determining the definiteness of nouns in various languages.

Lexical Ambiguity

• Example: "I made her duck" can mean:

  • I forced her to bend down.
    The use of "made" here implies an action that results in a bending motion, possibly out of necessity or humor.

  • I cooked duck meat for her.
    In this sense, the phrase suggests the act of preparing a dish involving duck, unclear about the intent behind the action.

  • I prepared food from duck meat associated with her.
    This extends the cooking interpretation to imply that the food was specifically linked to her preferences or needs.

  • I made a representation of a duck for her.
    This artistic interpretation suggests crafting something symbolic or visual that resembles a duck, further broadening the meaning.

  • I turned her into a duck.
    A more surreal interpretation implying some form of transformation, whether imagined or metaphorical.

Syntactic Ambiguity

• Example: "Elaine poked the kid with the stick."
  This sentence can suggest whether Elaine used the stick to poke the kid or poked the kid who was holding the stick, making the sentence's intended meaning ambiguous without further context.

Semantic Dependency Ambiguity

• Example: "Billy knocked over the vase."

  • Here, the term "Billy" takes on the semantic role of the agent, while the expression of knocking over also implies a potential use of an instrument, which remains unspecified, leading to confusion about the precise nature of the action.

Referential Ambiguity

• Example: "The soldier shot at the women and I saw some of the fall."

  • This phrase creates ambiguity about which women were targeted and whether "some of the fall" refers to the women or something else entirely, illustrating the intricacies of referential terms in language usage.

Scope Ambiguity

• Example: "Everyone loves a clown."

  • This can indicate either that there is one particular clown whom everyone loves, or that each person loves a different clown, showcasing how the scope of quantifiers can change the interpretation of a statement.

Pragmatic Ambiguity

• Example: "I need help fixing the toaster."

  • This statement can be perceived either as a straightforward request for assistance or as a more implicit assertion of the speaker’s incompetence, reflecting how context and tone can alter message interpretation.

Disambiguation in Context

• Interpretation relies on:

  • Textual context: Provides clues on meaning based on surrounding text.

  • Knowledge of the world: Shared understanding of norms and situations can clarify intent.

  • Knowledge about the speech situation: The context of the conversation informs how one interprets statements made by others.

Linguistics Components

1. Phonetics: Study of speech sounds, analyzing how sounds are produced and perceived.

2. Phonology: Patterns of speech sounds and their systematic organization within particular languages.

3. Morphology: Word formation and structure, examining the formation of words through morphemes.

4. Syntax: Sentence structure, focusing on how words are arranged to create meaningful sentences.

5. Semantics: Meaning of words/sentences, exploring how meaning is conveyed and interpreted.

6. Pragmatics: Language use in context, considering how context affects the interpretation of meaning in communication.

Generative Aspects of Language

• Compositionality: The ability to create new and unique sentences that combine existing elements in novel ways, crucial for effective communication.

• Generativity/Productivity: The inherent capacity of language to produce an infinite number of sentences, allowing for creativity and adaptability in expression.

• Discreteness: Language consists of distinct units influencing meaning, allowing for clear communication and categorization of concepts.

Key Language Features

• Displacement: The ability to discuss non-present events or concepts, facilitating discussions about the past, future, and hypothetical scenarios.

• Traditional Transmission: Language learned culturally, emphasizing the social aspect of language acquisition rather than genetic inheritance.

• Learnability: The natural ability to acquire language, highlighting insights into cognitive development and education.

• Arbitrariness: The absence of an intrinsic relationship between words and their meanings, showcasing how meanings are assigned culturally.

Onomatopoeia & Iconicity

• Onomatopoeia: Words imitating sounds (e.g., "bark"), providing a direct and vivid representation of the sounds they denote, enhancing expressiveness.

• Iconicity: Resemblance between a sign's form and its meaning, wherein certain linguistic forms maintain a direct connection to their referents.

Components of Grammar

• Phonetics, Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics define the linguistic framework essential for studying and understanding language.

• These components examine roles in communication and context-based understanding, providing insights into how language operates in various settings.

Summary

Morphological Ambiguity

• Example: frukosten in Swedish has five interpretations:

  • frukost+en: "the breakfast"

  • frukost en: "breakfast juniper"

  • fru kost en: "wife nutrition juniper"

  • fru kost+en: "the wife nutrition"

  • fru ko sten: "wife cow stone"
    *(Karlsson, 1995, p.28)

• +: Indicates grammatical morpheme for the definite article (the).

Lexical Ambiguity

• Example: "I made her duck" can mean:

  • I forced her to bend down.

  • I cooked duck meat for her.

  • I prepared food from duck meat associated with her.

  • I made a representation of a duck for her.

  • I turned her into a duck.

Syntactic Ambiguity

• Example: "Elaine poked the kid with the stick."

Semantic Dependency Ambiguity

• Example: "Billy knocked over the vase."

  • Semantic role of Billy: agent vs. instrument.

Referential Ambiguity

• Example: "The soldier shot at the women and I saw some of the fall."

  • Ambiguity about which women and soldiers.

Scope Ambiguity

• Example: "Everyone loves a clown."

  • Can indicate one particular clown or one clown for each person.

Pragmatic Ambiguity

• Example: "I need help fixing the toaster."

  • Could assert a fact or ask for help.

Disambiguation in Context

• Interpretation relies on:

  • Textual context.

  • Knowledge of the world.

  • Knowledge about the speech situation.

Linguistics Components

1. Phonetics: Study of speech sounds.

2. Phonology: Patterns of speech sounds.

3. Morphology: Word formation.

4. Syntax: Sentence structure.

5. Semantics: Meaning of words/sentences.

6. Pragmatics: Language use in context.

Generative Aspects of Language

• Compositionality: Ability to create new and unique sentences.

• Generativity/Productivity: Producing an infinite number of sentences.

• Discreteness: Language consists of distinct units influencing meaning.

Key Language Features

• Displacement: Discussing non-present events or concepts.

• Traditional Transmission: Language learned culturally, not genetically.

• Learnability: Natural ability to acquire language.

• Arbitrariness: No intrinsic relationship between words and their meanings.

Onomatopoeia & Iconicity

• Onomatopoeia: Words imitating sounds (e.g., "bark").

• Iconicity: Resemblance between a sign's form and its meaning.

Components of Grammar

• Phonetics, Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics, all define the linguistic framework.

• Examines roles in communication and context-based understanding.