Introduction to Linguistics

Introduction to Linguistics Overview

- Five main aspects of language:

- Syntax

- Semantics

- Morphology

- Phonetics

- Phonology

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1. Syntax

- Definition: The structure of language; how words are arranged in sentences.

- Example:

- English follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order: "I hit the ball."

- Other languages may have different structures, e.g., Japanese follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV).

- Tree Structures:

- Sentences can be represented as hierarchical structures (trees).

- Example: "I hit the ball" can be broken down into:

- Noun Phrase (NP): "I"

- Verb Phrase (VP): "hit the ball"

- NP: "the ball" (with "the" as a determiner)

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2. Semantics

- Definition: The study of meaning in language.

- Ambiguity:

- Example: "I bought a pen" can refer to:

- A writing instrument

- An enclosure for animals (e.g., a dog pen)

- Structural Ambiguity:

- Example: "I like small cats and dogs" can mean:

- I like both small cats and small dogs.

- I like small cats and I like dogs (regardless of size).

- Presupposition:

- Example: "Do you regret kicking the dog last night?" presupposes that the listener kicked the dog.

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3. Morphology

- Definition: The study of the structure of words; the smallest units of meaning (morphemes).

- Examples:

- "Birds":

- "Bird" (base meaning) + "s" (plural marker).

- "Pets":

- "Pet" + "s" (different sounds but same meaning of plurality).

- "Establishment":

- "Establish" (verb) + "ment" (turns it into a noun).

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4. Phonetics

- Definition: The study of sounds in language.

- Sound Differences:

- Example: The difference between /s/ and /z/:

- /s/ is voiceless; /z/ is voiced (vocal folds vibrate).

- Articulation:

- Understanding how sounds are produced (tongue position, mouth shape).

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5. Phonology

- Definition: The study of patterns of sounds in languages.

- Sound Patterns:

- Example: Comparing sounds in "pay," "bay," and "eBay":

- The /b/ in "eBay" is unaspirated compared to the aspirated /p/ in "pay."

- Perception:

- Native speakers may not notice subtle differences in sounds that are significant in other languages.

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