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Exploring Human Linguistics: Made to Speak and Understand Grammar

This class delves into the innate ability of humans to speak and comprehend language, exploring the scientific study of language, grammar, and linguistic competence. Topics covered include the specialization for language, creativity aspect of language, components of a grammar, and the truth about grammar. Through a linguistic perspective, you will gain insights into how different languages function and the universal elements present in all grammars.

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Exploring Human Linguistics: Made to Speak and Understand Grammar

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  1. Language: A Preview LI 2013 Nathalie F. Martin

  2. Outline of Today’s Class Today: • Humans made to speak • Language • Grammar Objective: • Understand how humains are made to speak. • See the study of language and grammar through a linguistic perspective. Language : A Preview (O’Grady, p. 1-11)

  3. What Is Linguistics? • “The _____ study of _____ _____ .” • Scientific study of language, covering the _____ (morphology and syntax; see grammar), _____ (phonology, phonetics), and _____ (semantics), as well as the _____ of the relations of languages to each other and the _____ place of language in human behavior.

  4. What Is Linguistics? • Ferdinand de _____ : • _____ of modern linguistics. • His students published his course notes in 1916. • Cours de linguistiquegénérale.

  5. What is Language? Language is the method of _____ _____ __, either _____ or _____ , consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.

  6. Language(s) • A languageis more than a simple instruments used for communication: • It the canbe the object of _____ _____ ; • It canalso show _____ between different people and social groups. • Etc.

  7. Language, Languages and Speech • Terminology: • Language • Language(s) • Speech

  8. Language: A Preview Chapter 1 (O’Grady & Archibald) 1.1 Specialized for Language 1.2Creative System 1.3Grammar and LinguisticsCompetence

  9. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 2. 1.1 Specialization for Language

  10. Specialization for Language:Made to Speak http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

  11. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. 1.2 A Creative System The Creativity Aspect of Language • Human language must be _____ : allowing novelty and innovation is response to new thoughts, experiences, and situations

  12. Linguistic Performance: _____ _____this knowledge in actual speech production and comprehension. Linguistic Competence: What you _____ about a language. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. 1.3 The Components of a Grammar

  13. What You Know About Grammar Grammatical or not…? • The fish is swimming. • *Fish the swimming is. • ?Swimming is the fish. • *The fishing is swim. • He saw two dogs. • *He saw twos dog.

  14. What You Know About Grammar • Knowledge of the _____ _____ : Knowing what sounds are in that language and what sounds are not. • Knowledge of _____ : Knowing the sound units that are related to specific meanings. • Knowledge of _____ : Knowing how to form sentences.

  15. Prescriptive Grammar • 1762; Bishop Robert Lowth; A Short Introduction to English Grammar with Critical Notes. • Examples: • Many of those rules were based on Latin grammar. Latin was assumed as the respected scientific language in the 15th – 17th Centuries.

  16. Descriptive Grammar • 1985; Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik; A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. • Based on a corpus of actual spoken and written English.

  17. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. The Components of a Grammar • _____ _____ : the articulation and perception of speech sounds • _____ _____ : the patterning of speech • _____ _____ : word formation • _____ _____ : sentence formation • _____ _____ : the interpretation of words and sentences.

  18. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. Grammar • « As youcansee, the termgrammarisused in a specialwaywithinlinguistics. A linguist’sgrammaris not a _____ and itis not concernedwithjust the form of words and sentences. Rather, itis an intricate system of knowledgethatencompasses _____ and _____ as well as _____ and _____ __.»

  19. The Truth About Grammar 1.3.1Generality: All languages have a grammar 1.3.2 Parity: All grammars are equal 1.3.3 Universality: Grammars are alike in basic ways 1.3.4 Mutability: Grammars change over time 1.3.5 Inaccessibility: Grammatical knowledgeissubconscious

  20. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. The Truth About Grammar:Generality • All languages have a grammar • Fundamental claim of modern linguistics • Can be_____ _phonetically, phonologically, morphologically, syntatically, semantically. • _____ and _____ languages • _________ and alsodifferent_________ of the samelanguage. • Example:

  21. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p.67. The Truth About Grammar :Parity • All grammars are equal • No suchthing as a ___________ language. • No suchthing as a ____ grammar and a ____ grammar. • Since all grammars tell speakers how to form and interpret the words and sentences of theirlanguage. • « (….) languageanalysis must reflect the wayitisactuallyused, not someone’sidealized vision of how itshouldbeused. » • _____ _____, not prescriptive Also see analogy: Steven Pinker’s illustration (p. 7)

  22. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 7. The Truth About Grammars:Universality • Grammars are _____ in basic ways • All languages have: • Small set of contrastive soundsthat help to distinguishwordfromeachother; • Have more consonant soundsthanvowelsounds; • Anylanguagethat has an fsound has an s sound; • All languages have an ahsound (like in the wordfather); • Universalconstaints on how wordscanbe put together to form sentences.

  23. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 8. The Truth About Grammars:Mutability • Grammars_____ _____ _____ • Featuresthat are not universal and fixed are subject to change over time; • Example:

  24. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 8. The Truth About Grammars:Inaccessibility • Grammatical knowledgeis_____ _____ • Largelysubconscious and not accessible to introspection • Speakers of a native language know whatsounds right or whatsoundswrong … but they are not sure how they know. • Example:

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