AN INTRO TO LINGUISTICS CREATED BY TENAYA CAMPBELL

GOALS Gain an general understanding of linguistics and linguistics relates to the work we do as tutor. Explanation of linguistic structure 1.Definition 2.Levels

LINGUISTICS |li ng ˈ gwistiks| plural noun [treated as sing. ] the scientific study of language and its structure, including the study of morphology, syntax, phonetics, and semantics. Specific branches of linguistics include sociolinguistics, dialectology, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics, historical-comparative linguistics, and applied linguistics.

DIALECT \ ˈ dīə ˌ lekt\ noun, often attributive a regional variety of language distinguished by vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting with them a single language

STANDARD ENGLISH noun the English that with respect to spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary is substantially uniform though not devoid of regional differences, that is well established by usage in the formal and informal speech and writing of the educated, and that is widely recognized as acceptable wherever English is spoken and understood

There are many different types of linguists who specialize in a number of fields. Phonetics Phonology Morphology Syntax Semantics Pragmatics Discourse Analysis Applied Linguistics Biolinguistics Clinical Linguistics Computational Linguistics Developmental Linguistics Evolutionary Linguistics Historical Linguistics Language Geography Linguistic Typology Neurolinguistics Psycholinguistics Sylistics Sociolinguistics

LINGUISTIC STRUCTURE the broad term for the structure of language contains three main branches: pronunciation, grammar, and semantics (meaning). These three main groups are then further subdivided:

THE LEVELS LINGUISTIC STRUCTURE

PRONUNCIATION 1.Phonetics: the properties of human sound-making – the way in which we form, transmit and hear sounds 1.Physically how we produce, receive and process sound 2.Phonology: the study of a sound system of a particular language 1.Ex. the sounds we use in English vs the sounds used in Russian (sounds native speakers can distinguish between and create)

GRAMMAR 1.Morphology: the study of the structure of words 1.roots, prefixes, suffixes 2.Syntax: the study of the way words work in sequences to form larger linguistic units: phrases, clauses, sentences and beyond.

SEMANTICS 1.Vocabulary: the content of a dictionary 2.“Discourse”: distribution of meaning in a sentence, paragraph, chapter…

When students speak a different dialect of English, things become extra complicated. Some pronunciation and grammar differences can be perceived as a mistake based on Standard English rules when, in fact, the child is following the rules of his or her home dialect

EVERYONE SPEAKS A DIALECT.

As a teacher in the District of Columbia the dialect you will come into contact with most frequently is African American Vernacular English (AAVE). This dialect is also referred to as: African American English, African American Language, Black English and Ebonics.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1.Crystal, David "The Structure of Language." In Child Language, Learning and Linguistics. 2nd ed. London: Edward Arnold Sidnell, Jack. "African American Vernacular English." University of Hawaii System. Web. 04 May Wheeler, Rebecca "From cold shoulder to funded welcome: lessons from the trenches of dialectally diverse classrooms." In Linguistics at school: Language awareness in primary and secondary education, eds. Kristin Denham and Anne Loebeck. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 4.Wolfram, Walt The grammar of urban African American Vernacular English. In Bernd Kortmann and Edgar Schneider (eds.), Handbook of Varieties of English: Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter Pullum, G.K African American Vernacular English is not Standard English with Mistakes. In The Workings of Language, eds. Rebecca Wheeler. Westport CT: Praeger