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WELCOME YOU TO

WELCOME YOU TO. ADVANCED LINGUISTICS COURSE. LINGUISTICS. THE DISCIPLINE THAT STUDIES THE NATURE AND USE OF LANGUAGE What is language?. LANGUAGE.

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WELCOME YOU TO

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  1. WELCOME YOU TO ADVANCED LINGUISTICS COURSE

  2. LINGUISTICS THE DISCIPLINE THAT STUDIES THE NATURE AND USE OF LANGUAGE What is language?

  3. LANGUAGE 1. “LANGUAGE IS A PURELY HUMAN AND NON-INSTINCTIVE METHOD OF COMMUNICATING IDEAS, EMOTIONS AND DESIRES BY MEANS OF VOLUNTARILY PRODUCED SYMBOLS.” (SAPIR 1921, 8)

  4. 2. “ A LANGUAGE IS A SYSTEM OF ARBITARY VOCAL SYMBOLS BY MEANS OF WHICH A SOCIAL GROUP CO-OPERATES.” (BLOCH AND TRAGER 1942, 5) 3. LANGUAGE IS “ THE INSTITUTION WHEREBY HUMAN COMMUNICATE AND INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER BY MEANS OF HABITUALLY USED ORAL-AUDITORY ARBITRARY SYMBOLS.” (HALL 1968, 158)

  5. 4. Languages are “symbol systems . . . Almost wholly based on pure or arbitrary convention, …” ( Robins (1979, 9-4) 5. A language to be set (finite or infinite) of sentences, each finite in length and constructed out of finite set of elements.” (Chomsky 1957, 13)

  6. 6. Based on the above definitions, Lyons (1981, 8) concludes that language are “systems of symbols designed, as it were, for the purpose of communication.” 7. Language means “the specialized sound signalling system which seems to be genetically programmed to develop in humans.” (Aitchison 2003, 13)

  7. What is the function of Language? • A means of expressing and communicating ideas, desires, emotions ( Sapir 1921, Lyons 1981) • “A tool for thought, a medium for self-expression, a social institution, a source of ethic pride and political controversy” (O’Grady et al 2001, 1)

  8. Features of Human Language 1. Sound 2. Creative 3. System/Patterning 4. Displacement 5. Arbitrariness

  9. BASICALLY SOUNDS • HUMAN ORGANS USED IN SPEECH HAVE SOME MORE BASIC FUNCTION: 1) Teeth 2) Lips 3) Tongue 4) Vocal cords (thin strips of membrane deep in the throat)

  10. CREATIVE • HUMANS CAN PRODUCE NOVEL UTTERANCES WHENEVER THEY WANT TO. • A PERSON CAN UTTER A SENTENCE WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SAID BEFORE. E.G., AT BREAKFAST, SOMEONE MIGHT SAY: “THIS IS A GOOD COFFEE” ONE DAY “ IS THIS COFFEE OR DANDELION TEA” ON THE NEXT “ IT WOULD BE CHEAPER TO DRINK PETROL” ON THE NEXT

  11. SYSTEM /PATTERNING • HUMANS DO NOT JUXTAPOSE SOUND AND WORDS IN A RANDOM WAY E.G., THE SOUNDS a, b, s, t. IN ENGLISH, THERE ARE ONLY FOUR POSSIBLE WAYS IN WHICH THESE SOUND COULD BE ARRANGED, bats, tabs, stab no *sbat, *abts, *stba

  12. Displacement • HUMAN LANGUAGE CAN COMMUNICATE ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE ABSENT AS EASILY AS ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE PRESENT.

  13. Arbitrariness • IN HUMAN LANGUAGE, THERE IS NO LINK WHATSOEVER BETWEEN THE SIGNAL AND THE MESSAGE. THE SYMBOLS USED ARE ARBITRARY. E.G., THERE IS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN THE WORD “ELEPHANT” AND THE ANIMAL IT SYMBOLIZES.

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