Linguistics for Foreign Languages Dick Hudson Godolphin and Latymer School September 2016

Main messages Language can be investigated. The findings are very interesting. Investigating language is good for you.

Plan History Geography Psychology Puzzles

1. History Languages change English is changing, e.g.: /r/ disappeared at the end of a syllable, e.g. farm /t/ is being replaced by a glottal stop at the end of a syllable. can I have is being replaced by can I get fun is turning into an adjective This is normal and healthy. Changes spread through contact But without contact, dialects change in different ways And dialects turn into languages.

Language change gradually makes new languages English German Latin French father Vater [fɑtər] pater père mother Mutter mater mère brother Bruder frater frère sister Schwester soror soeur spinster

Language families

2. Geography Languages influence each other if they’re near each other, so there are many bilingual speakers if one has high status. For example, consider the uvular r [R] made by vibrating your uvula contrasting with tongue-tip [r] or English [ɹ]

The geography of [R] One theory: It started in 18th-century Paris It gained prestige from Paris and the court. It spread in upper-class circles in France. But also into Germany, Holland and Scandinavia. And the edge of Italy.

Languages borrow sounds words grammar German etc < French: uvular [R] French < German, English, Dutch: [ə] words omelette, tapas, spaghetti, ..... grammar English < French/Latin: who etc interrogative > relative pronoun French < English/German: question by subject-verb inversion German < French?: simple past > ‘have/be’ + participle

Two kinds of change Very very slow change across generations Children tend to speak just like their parents Language is remarkably stable Primary children are very conservative, e.g. playground games and language Fast change: borrowing teen-age ‘slang’ technology Language is remarkably flexible

From Proto-Indo-European to us generations guessed From Proto-Indo-European to us PIE -3,500 *gwe:n ‘woman’ Greek -500 120 γυνή /gyne:/ ‘woman’ borrowed English cwen ‘woman’ +600 160 gynaecologist misogyny +2,000 200 queen

3. Psychology Languages only exist in people’s minds not in texts – these are just evidence not in books (dictionaries, grammars) – these are just descriptions So they provide a window into their speakers’ minds: local: how speakers of that language think. global: how people think. Different languages make people think differently at least when communicating.

Different languages - different messages manner of movement Different languages - different messages direction of movement Translate into French (or Spanish): He walked into the room Not: Il a marché dans la chambre. But: Il est entré dans la chambre (en marchant). direction of movement manner of movement

What about German? Er ist in die Kammer hinein/herein gelaufen. He is into the room thither/hither in run/walked. manner in verb basic contrast = with/without vehicle direction in obligatory particle hin/her basic contrast = from/to here

Languages are different English subordinates direction to manner French subordinates manner to direction German is like English, but direction: 'hither' or 'thither'? manner: with/without vehicle?

The routes of English Directions are grammatically optional But we often define the route. I went up to Edinburgh yesterday. I’m going over to Joe’s tonight. I went in to Oxford Circus, then out to Harrow. I’m travelling all the way through to Heathrow. Why do we bother? How do we decide how to define our route? Why ‘up’ to Edinburgh?

Grammar German, English and French all form some questions by putting the finite V(erb) before S(ubject) BUT the rules are different. German: any V, any S Schläft Paul? ‘Sleeps Paul?’ English: only auxiliary V, any S Does Paul sleep? (Not: *Sleeps Paul?) French: Any V, only pronoun S Paul dort-il? (Not: *Dort Paul?)

Grammar in psychology Rules of grammar really matter to native speakers! If you don’t follow them, you’re not a native. However rebellious you are, you toe the grammatical line! Nobody messes with irregular verbs. The rules vary from language to language. and they don’t necessarily ‘make sense’! They can create grammatical gaps: He is. He is not. He isn’t. You are. You are not. You aren’t. I am. I am not. ?

4. Puzzles Welcome to the UK Linguistics Olympiad! the Haiti (French) creole What’s going on? Welcome to the UK Linguistics Olympiad!

Thinking analytically A language is a complex system. Maybe the most complex system in the universe??? Language is the most important human invention BY FAR! A superb tool for communication. When you think about a language, you’re thinking analytically: How does this system work? Thinking analytically about language is good for: your understanding of how this tool works. your ability to think about complex systems.

So what? Your target language isn’t just a useful tool – it’s interesting! Try to understand it as a system: how it works. how it developed. how it’s similar to English and how it’s different. Then you’ll use the tool better. you’ll be able to learn other languages better. you’ll be able to think better.