Language Deanne Compton Cheryle Nix Samantha Sams

What is language? A body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition. Any system of formalized symbols, signs, sounds, gestures, or the like used or conceived as a means of communicating thought, emotion, etc. In computers, a set of characters and symbols and syntactic rules for their combination and use, by means of which a computer can be given directions.

Origins of Language Scientists do not agree on when human language was first used. Estimates range from 2,000,000 years ago to only 40,000 years ago. The nature of speech means there is no data to base these conclusions on.

Properties of Language Communicative Arbitrary (except for onomatopoeia) Meaningfully structured Multiply structured Productive Dynamic

Components of Language A phone is a speech sound or gesture. Phonemes are distinguishable sounds of each culture’s language. Phonemes are also the smallest structural unit that distinguishes meaning, such as vowels or consonants. Phonemics is the study of the different phonemes found in various cultures. Phonetics is the study of the physical sounds of human speech.

Components of Language Morphemes are the simplest units of sound with meaning. Prefixes and suffixes are considered as morphemes. Ex: un|break|able A lexicon is the total set of morphemes a person knows. Vocabulary is the number of words a person knows. The average person has around 20,000 words in the vocabulary. A syntax is the way in which words are put together to form phrases or clauses.

Semantics The study of the meaning of words. Definitional theory: the meaning comes from the defining features of a concept Prototype theory: characteristic features and prototypical aspects of a concept; better way to understand meaning.

Pragmatics Focuses on a higher level of analysis and on the implied meaning of the given idea.

Types of Language Verbal What is being spoken Nonverbal Communication besides spoken words Can occur through any sensory channel– sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste

The Brain and Language

Language Acquisition The process by which the language capability develops in a human. Seven Stages of Language Acquisition Prenatal responsivity to human voices Postnatal cooing Babbling One-word utterances Two-word utterances Telegraphic speech Basic adult sentence structure

Views of Language Development B. F. Skinner Verbal Behavior Language must be learned & reinforced Behavioralist approach Noam Chomsky Generative grammar “Innate” universal grammar Naturalist approach

Linguistic Universals A statement that is true for all natural languages. Only 11 color names are needed: black, white, red, yellow, green, blue, brown, purple, pink, orange, and gray. Different languages use anywhere from 2 to all 11 of these names.

Bilingualism The ability to speak two languages. Additive bilingualism: second language is learned in addition to the strong original language Subtractive bilingualism: second language replaces the original language Increases cognition

Gender and Communication Research by Deborah Tannen Men Communicate information Maintain status Talk about future action Use language to sold problems Fear loss of independence Men talk more overall, but more in public More activity, less conversation Women Talk to create and support relationships Talk for its own sake Establish intimacy Seek emotional support through language Women talk less, but more at home Less activity, more conversation

Writing Systems Logographic: symbols and morphemes correspond (Chinese and Japanese) Syllabic: symbols and syllables correspond (Japanese, Akkadian, and Mayan) Alphabetic: symbols and sounds correspond (Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Cyrillic, etc.) The English language also uses logographic symbols such as $, *, #, and others.

Grammar How nouns and verbs and other meaningful units can be arranged When we speak, we do not use words in random order, they are arranged into grammatical syntagms & expressions A grammatical syntagm is a serial arrangement of various parts of speech Ex: a brown bag is an article followed by an adjective, followed by a noun Unlike English, most languages do not place verbs before objects

Linguistics The scientific study of the nature and structure of language Subfields include: Phonology & phonetics (articulatory gestures & sounds of language) Semantics (meaning) Syntax (grammar) Historical linguistics (history & family trees of languages) Psycholinguistics (psychology of linguistics) Sociolinguistics (sociology of language)

Origins of Linguistics Ferdinand de Saussure ( ) Swiss linguist who showed us how to separate historical linguistics from non-historical linguistics Believed to be the greatest linguist, even today, and few can dispute his theories

Symbols Objects, characters, or other concrete representations of ideas, concepts, or other abstractions When symbols are transmitted between locations in the brain, we are thinking in language When symbols are converted into articulatory gestures and sounds are heard by others, we are talking or communicating When symbols are converted into bits in a computer, printed, or written, we are storing information

Slang The use of informal words and expressions to describe an object or condition. Vocabulary that is meant to be interpreted quickly but not necessarily taken literally. Often metaphors or allegories. Some examples are: “That’s bad!” meaning “That’s really nice, awesome, etc.”

Computer Programming Languages PHP C# AJAX JavaScript Perl C Ruby and Ruby on Rails Java Python Visual Basic.Net

Text Messaging A brief, electronic message sent and received via a wireless network. Text language L8R= later LOL= laughing out loud TTYL= talk to you later IDK= I don’t know

The End. Questions? Comments?