9-27 (wk 1) Slides

What is Linguistics?

• Quotation: "Language is only the instrument of science, and words are but the signs of ideas." -- Samuel Johnson

• Overview: Linguistics is the scientific study of language, including its structure and use.

Core Questions and Concepts

• Major Topics Discussed:

  • What is Linguistics?

  • Core Subfields of Linguistics

  • Linguistic Competence vs. Performance

  • Descriptive vs. Prescriptive Grammar

Definition of Linguistics

• Scientific Study includes:

  • Learning multiple languages.

  • Analyzing language structure.

  • Enhancing communication.

  • Understanding animal communication.

Linguistic Knowledge

• Linguistic Competence:

  • Knowledge a speaker has about their native language (e.g., sounds, words, sentences).

  • This knowledge is largely unconscious and hidden from direct access.

• Linguistic Performance:

  • Observable realization of linguistic competence through speech.

  • Linguists study performance to hypothesize about underlying competence.

Levels of Linguistic Structure

• Hierarchy:

  1. Phonetics/Phonology (Sounds)

  2. Morphology (Words)

  3. Syntax (Sentence Structure)

  4. Semantics (Meaning)

Core Subfields of Linguistics

• Phonetics:

  • Study of the physical properties of speech sounds (e.g., [bɑ], [ʀɑ], [!ɑ]).

• Phonology:

  • Organization of speech sounds (e.g., grammatical vs. ungrammatical structures).

• Morphology:

  • Formation of words (e.g., quick + -ly = quickly).

• Syntax:

  • Structure of phrases and sentences (e.g., different structures convey different meanings).

  • Example: "The dog chased the cat." vs. "The cat chased the dog."

• Semantics:

  • Study of meaning in words and sentences (e.g., understanding spatial relationships like "near").

Knowledge of Language

• Key Components:

  • Lexicon: Mental dictionary containing all vocabulary knowledge.

  • Mental Grammar: Knowledge of rules governing language sounds, structures, and usage.

Grammar Types

• Prescriptive Grammar:

  • Establishes rules for 'correct' language use (e.g., "Use I as subject") and holds value judgments.

• Descriptive Grammar:

  • Describes what people actually say without imposing correctness (e.g., natural language use).

Differences between Prescriptive and Descriptive**

• Prescriptive Rules:

  • Reflect opinions, arbitrary.

• Descriptive Rules:

  • Natural, intuitive, and unconsciously known.

Importance of Studying Language

• Understanding language is fundamental to understanding humanity.

What is Linguistics?

Quotation:

"Language is only the instrument of science, and words are but the signs of ideas." -- Samuel Johnson

Overview:

Linguistics is the scientific study of language, encompassing not only its structure and use but also the cognitive and social dimensions associated with it. Linguists explore how languages are formed, developed, and employed in communication, investigating the intricate relationships between language, thought, and culture.

Core Questions and Concepts:

Linguistics seeks to answer fundamental questions such as:

• What constitutes a language?

• How do languages differ or relate to one another?

• What are the underlying cognitive processes involved in language comprehension and production?

Major Topics Discussed:

1. What is Linguistics?

2. Core Subfields of Linguistics:

   • Phonetics

   • Phonology

   • Morphology

   • Syntax

   • Semantics

3. Linguistic Competence vs. Performance

4. Descriptive vs. Prescriptive Grammar

Definition of Linguistics:

The scientific study of language includes:

• Learning multiple languages, which enhances cognitive flexibility and cultural understanding.

• Analyzing language structure to uncover the universal and unique characteristics of languages.

• Enhancing communication through effective language use.

• Understanding animal communication in comparison to human language, shedding light on the essence of language as a phenomenon.

Linguistic Knowledge:

Linguistic Competence:

• This refers to the internalized knowledge a speaker has about their native language, which includes:

  • Sounds (Phonetics and Phonology): Knowledge of the phonetic inventory and phonological rules that govern sound patterns in their language.

  • Words (Morphology): Understanding how words are formed and the different morphemes involved.

  • Sentences (Syntax): Awareness of how words combine into phrases and sentences, including knowledge about grammaticality.

• This knowledge is largely unconscious, making it challenging to articulate explicitly, yet it allows speakers to intuitively produce and understand language.

Linguistic Performance:

• This is the observable realization of linguistic competence expressed through speech and writing.

  • Linguists analyze performance to make hypotheses about the nature of linguistic competence, regarding factors such as fluency, language variation, and errors that occur in real-time communication.

Levels of Linguistic Structure:

Hierarchy of linguistic components:

1. Phonetics/Phonology: Study of the physical properties and organization of speech sounds.

2. Morphology: The formation and structure of words.

3. Syntax: The organization of phrases and sentences, highlighting how different arrangements impact meaning (e.g., "The dog chased the cat" vs. "The cat chased the dog").

4. Semantics: The study of meaning in language, encompassing how words and sentences relate to concepts and the world (e.g., understanding spatial relationships and implications).

Core Subfields of Linguistics:

1. Phonetics:

   • Investigates how speech sounds are produced (articulatory phonetics), transmitted (acoustic phonetics), and perceived (auditory phonetics).

2. Phonology:

   • Examines how speech sounds function and pattern within particular languages, including contrasts that matter to meaning.

3. Morphology:

   • Focuses on the internal structure of words and how affixes can alter meaning or grammatical function (e.g., adding -ly to make an adverb).

4. Syntax:

   • Studies the rules that govern sentence structure, determining how word order can affect interpretation.

5. Semantics:

   • Looks at meaning, including aspects like word meaning, sentence meaning, and meaning in context to grasp how speakers use language to convey messages effectively.

Knowledge of Language:

Key Components:

• Lexicon: The mental repository of all vocabulary knowledge, including information about word meanings, syntactic properties, and relationships between words.

• Mental Grammar: The internalized system containing rules governing sounds, structures, and language use, which allows for the generation of an infinite number of sentences using a finite set of elements.

Grammar Types:

1. Prescriptive Grammar:

   • Sets normative rules for 'correct' usage of language; often prescribed by authoritative sources and reflects societal preferences (e.g., formal writing).

   • Establishes judgments about language use and enforces standards through rules about what is deemed 'correct.'

2. Descriptive Grammar:

   • Observes and describes how language is actually used by speakers, without imposing correctness or preferences; it reflects natural language use and acknowledges dialectal and situational variations.

Differences between Prescriptive and Descriptive:

• Prescriptive Rules:

  • Typically reflect opinions; can be arbitrary and change over time.

• Descriptive Rules:

  • Are inherently natural and intuitive, formulating the understanding of language that speakers inherently possess based on their exposure and experience.

Importance of Studying Language:

Understanding language is fundamental to unlocking the complexities of human cognition, communication behaviors, social interaction, and cultural expression. It enriches our comprehension of humanity as a whole and emphasizes that language is a vital part of what makes us human.