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Characteristic Features of Language

Characteristic Features of Language. I.   Language is a system at many levels. All languages have two levels, called duality of patterning.  This consists of meaningful and meaningless components.

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Characteristic Features of Language

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  1. Characteristic Features of Language

  2. I.   Language is a system at many levels. • All languages have two levels, called duality of patterning.  This consists of meaningful and meaningless components. • A.  Meaningless components, the phonemic system:  Phonemes are the smallest meaningless components that constitute the sound system of a language.

  3. B.  Meaningful components, or morphosyntax:  Morphemes are the smallest meaningful components of a language.  For example, the word cats consists of two morphemes, {cat} and {-s}.  Morphemes can be grammatical (having dictionary definitions) or lexical (affixes and function words).  They can be free (able to stand alone) or bound (complete only when combined with other morphemes.    Bound lexical morphemes (or affixes) can be either derivational (used to create new words) or inflectional (used to signal grammatical relationships).  Syntax:  Syntax governs the way words come together to create sentences.  The syntax of English has become less synthetic (grammatical structures are signaled primarily by inflectional endings) and more analytic (grammatical structures are signaled primarily by word order and function words). 

  4. II.   Language is a human activity. • Though animals can communicate in a primal way, they do not have innate language abilities that allow for an unlimited number of novel utterances.  Though some apes have been taught to use sign language ( a paralanguage, or parallel system of communication), the breadth of ideas that they express are limited.

  5. III.   Language is arbitrary. • Aside from echoic words, there is no intrinsic relationship between words and the objects or concepts that they represent.

  6. IV.   Language is conventional.  • Language is passed down from one generation to the next.  It is the nature of language to change. Notions of absolute correctness are imposed by writers, linguists, scholars, etc. and may slow down but do not   prevent the natural process of language evolution.

  7. V.   Language is sound.  • Linguists are primarily concerned with speech.  Writing is a secondary activity.

  8. Recapitulation • What is language? • Facts about language. • Levels of language • Features of language

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