ENLS 60

• onomatopoeia


  Words containing sounds similar to the noises they describe (e.g. bang, cuckoo)
• bow-wow theory


  the idea that early human speech developed from imitations of natural sounds in the environment/ language arouse from turning the sounds things make into words (onomatopoeia).
• pooh-pooh theory


  the idea that early human speech developed from the instinctive sounds people make in emotional circumstances
• larynx


  the part of the throat that contains the vocal folds, also called the voice box / Also known as the voice box, contains the vocal cords, and in humans, it dropped when Homo sapiens adopted an upright position.
• pharynx


  the area inside the throat above the larynx / A long caved above the larynx which helps with resonance allowing Homo sapiens to generate more precise sounds with better projection
• innateness hypothesis


  the idea that humans are genetically equipped to acquire language
• The Divine Source


  It states that language was given to humans by a divine source (God)
• The Natural Sound Source


  It states that language originated from the sprung of words imitating sounds of nature, such as onomatopoeia, and interjections. There are two main theories: the "Bow-Wow" and the "Pooh-Pooh" theories.
• The Innateness Hypothesis


  humans possess a special language gene; we are born with a special (innate) capacity for language no other creature seems to have: the innateness hypothesis
• Psychical adaptation theory


  Physical adaptation enables humans to produce speech as human beings assume an upright posture, the larynx (voice box) drops lower and creates pharynx (which other primates lack); the downside = choking
• Why do we say that the language knowledge of native speakers is intuitive?

  It is subconscious (they often cannot express it explicitly).
• What is a language family?

  A language family is any group of languages that derive from a common ancestor.
• What is the difference between symbolic and iconic signs?

  Symbolic = a matter of convention (what the symbols stand for red light = stop), iconic =natural resemblance between the sign and what it stands for
• Approximately how many years ago did language develop?

  100,000-50,000 years ago
• Approximately how many years ago did written language develop?

  5,000 years ago
• linguistic code →


  linguistic signs and the rules related to how they are combined used by a community
• Hermogenes


  Hermogenes → the undeniable diversity of languages seemed a suitableproof of the non-natural origin of words (people agreed on their meaning)
• symbolic (arbritrary)


  symbolic (arbitrary) → random connection → random, a matter of convention/agreemen
• iconic signs (onomatopoeia)


  iconic signs (onomatopoeia)→ natural connection onomatopoeia → words based on sounds that are associated with what is named
• What does 'arbitrariness' refer to in language?

  the absence of any natural or necessaryconnection between a word's meaning and its sound or form
• What are onomatopoeic words?

  the use of words that sound like the thing that they are describing, for example 'hiss' or 'boom
• What is communication?


  The exchange of information by speaking or writing
• communicative signals


  intentional behaviour that provides information
• INFORMATIVE SIGNALS


  behavior that provides information, usually unintentionally
• glossalia


  speech (often emotionally charged) that seems to have no communicative purpose → it mimics coherent speech but is usually unintelligible to the listener
• displacement


  a property of language that allows users to talk about things and events not present in the immediate environment/animal communication is context driven—they react to stimuli related to the immediate time and place▪ exception: bees and their dance routine (limited to the most recent food source
• productivity


  1. it is open-ended so humans can constantly create new forms of language / e.g. thru slang language

  / potentially an infinite number of utterances > new words can be created easily and existing words can get new meanings

  discrete infinity (van Oostendorp) → we can make infinitely many sentences with a limited [discrete] number of items
• animal producivity


  animals use a finite (limited) set of signals in communication (vocal forms or gestures) used in specific situations → lack of productivity = fixed reference▪ animals have to evolve in order for their signs to change (genetic evolutions. language as a cultural phenomenon in humans)
• joint attention

  human language expresses a shared goal▪ language is inherently cooperative (social interaction) → working together via language
• abrirtrairness


  human langguage is symbolic and arbritrary a property of language describing the fact that there is no natural connection betweena linguistic form and its meaning

  
  

  versus

  animal communication is not icononic→ there seems to be a clear connection between the conveyed message and the signal
• duality


  a property of language whereby linguistic forms have two simultaneous levels of sound production and meaning, also called "double articulation

  
  

  /

  human language is organized at two levels at the same time→a) distinctive sounds - phonemes [arbitrary and have no meaning on theirown]b) distinct meanings - morphemes (and bigger units) [sounds that humans-string in an infinite number of ways to create meaning - e.g. lap, pal]▪ we combine this set of sounds in various (infinite) different ways in order to produce meanings
• fixed reference


  animals do not communicate by arranging arbitrary sounds, which limits the number of messages they can create (fixed combinations)

  
  

  a property of a communication system whereby each signal is fixed as relating to one particular object or occasion
• cultural transmission


  the process whereby knowledge of a language is passed from one generation to the next

  
  

  animals

  the ways in which most animals communicate are biological, or inborn(they produce signals based on instinct
• interchangeability


  human language has this property, which means that it is a communication system by which all individuals (regardless of their gender, for example)have the ability to both transmit and review messages▪ in certain types of animal communication in the animal world signalscan only be used by one gender of that animal
• reflexitivity


  a special property of human language that allows language to be used to think and talk about language itself
• neurolinguistics


  the branch of linguistics dealing with the relationship between language and the structure and functioning of the physical brain=focuses on the neural mechanisms in the human brain that control the comprehension, production, and acquisition of language
• PSYCHOLINGUISTICS


  PSYCHOLINGUISTICS=the study of the mental aspects of language and speech =a branch of both linguistics and psychology (part of the field of cognitive science) → linguistic factors and psychological aspects (e.g. mind and behaviour) involved in language comprehension, production and acquisition
• Broca's area


  speech production
• Wernicke's area


  speech comprehension, pretty much word and language processing
• Motor cortex:


  Motor cortex: controls muscles in body,face and mouth