Lin101 introduction to linguistics
1 like1,100 views
LIN101 introduces students to the field of linguistics. The course is taught by Dr. Russell Rodrigo and aims to define linguistics, identify its scopes, examine language and linguistic concepts, and analyze language learning and acquisition. Students will be assessed through participation, discussions, assignments, and a presentation to demonstrate their understanding of course topics like syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics.
![Can you answer
this question?
Q. What do you eat with ghoti?
A. Fish
Why?
If we take the [gh] from ‘laugh’, the [o] from "women" and the [ti]
from ‘nation’, the word ghoti can be pronounced fish. We spell
some words in English in ways which bear no resemblance to the
way they are pronounced.
Ghoti was invented by the playwright George Bernard Shaw to show
the illogicality of English spelling.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/lin101introductiontolinguistics-220310085010/85/Lin101-introduction-to-linguistics-22-320.jpg)
Lin101 introduction to linguistics
- 1. LIN101 Introduction to Linguistics DR. RUSSELL RODRIGO
- 2. Learning Outcomes DEFINE LINGUISTICS IDENTIFY SCOPES OF LINGUISTICS
- 4. What is language? u The method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. u The system of communication used by a particular community or country.
- 6. Language 70,000 languages spoken in the world, but 90% of the population speaks only 10% of them. (Dawson & Phelan, 2011)
- 8. Language Modalities 1. Auditory-vocal (sometimes called aural-oral) – spoken languages 2. Visual-gestural – signed languages
- 9. What language inherently is and is not u What it means to know a language u Vast amount of mental knowledge or competence, know how to use the language to communicate ideas. u Two Non Essential Aspects of Language u Writing – secondary to speech u The representation of language in a physical medium different from sound. u Language is NOT Prescriptive Grammar
- 10. Why is speech a more basic form of language than writing? u Writing must be taught. u Writing does not exist everywhere. u Neurolinguistics evidence ( studies of the brain in action during language use). u Writing can be edited while speech is more spontaneous. u Archaeological evidence indicates that writing is a later historical development than spoken language. (Language File, 2011 p.14)
- 11. Prescriptive Grammar VS Descriptive Grammar Prescriptive Grammar u Tells you how you should speak and or write according to someone’s idea of what is “good” or “bad”. u It is being prescribed like a doctor’s prescription. u Examples: 1. Do not end with a preposition Ø Where do you come from? Vs. From where do come? 2. Do not split infinitives Ø To boldly go where no one has gone before. vs. To go boldly where no one has gone before. 3. Do not use double negatives Ø I don’t have nothing. Vs. I don’t have anything. I have nothing. Descriptive Grammar u Simply describe what happens in spoken language and accepts the patterns different speakers use, without judgment. u Examples u Some English speakers may end sentences with prepositions. u Some English speakers may split infinitives. u Some English speakers use double negatives for negation.
- 15. Course Learning Outcomes 1. Demonstrate understanding of language and linguistic concepts 2. Demonstrate understanding of language structures and functions 3. Examine the interrelatedness of language and culture 4. Analyze process, approaches, and factors in second language acquisition
- 16. Assessments Assessme nt Method Details Course Learning Outcome s Weig hting Due Participation Overall effort, homework, and a 1,2,3,4 10% Continu ous Blackboard Discussion Forums Participation in discussion forums on Blackboard and reflective journals 1,2,3,4 30% Weekly Assignments Language Acquisition Mini Case Study (Part 1: Intro to Data collection); Part 2: Analysis & Discussion & Conclusion 1&2 50% Week 6 Week 11 Presentation Case Study Presentation 1,2,3,4 10% Week 12
- 17. Course Outline Week Topics Week 1 Introduction to Linguistics Week 2 Syntax Week 3 Morphology Week 4 Phonology Week 5 Semantics Week 6 Pragmatics Week 7 Language Change Week 8-10 Language Learning and Acquisition Weeks 11-12 Presentations Week 13 Final Exam
- 19. Can you answer these questions? 1. What is the difference between a ‘knight’ and ‘knave’? 2. What do you eat with your ghoti? 3. How many words are there in the sentence ‘The cats talked and the dogs walked’ 7, 6 or 2? 4. Do sentences grow on trees? 5. Can ‘Colourless green ideas sleep furiously’ ? 6. Who taught you to speak? Linguistics can help us to find the answers…
- 20. Can you answer this question? Q. What is the difference between a knight and a knave? A. A soldier in armor VS a dishonest man Why? ‘Knave’ and ‘knight’ both meant ‘boy’ once. They now mean opposing things. Meanings of words and pronunciation change over time.
- 21. Historical Linguistics Etymology is the study of the historical development of words, which is part of Historical Linguistics.
- 22. Can you answer this question? Q. What do you eat with ghoti? A. Fish Why? If we take the [gh] from ‘laugh’, the [o] from "women" and the [ti] from ‘nation’, the word ghoti can be pronounced fish. We spell some words in English in ways which bear no resemblance to the way they are pronounced. Ghoti was invented by the playwright George Bernard Shaw to show the illogicality of English spelling.
- 23. Phonetics and Phonology These are the areas of Linguistics that deal with the study of the sound system of a language (Phonology) and the scientific study of speech processes (Phonetics).
- 24. Can you answer this question? Q. How many words are there in the sentence ‘The cats talked and the dogs walked’ 7 or 6? A. Both Why 7? It all depends what you mean by word because the word ‘word’ is ambiguous. If the question means ‘How many word forms’ then the answer is 7 (sometimes this is referred to as 7 word tokens).
- 25. Can you answer this question? Q. How many words are there in the sentence ‘The cats talked and the dogs walked’ 7 or 6? A. Both Why 6? If we mean ‘how many different word forms’, then the answer is 6 since there are two ‘the’s (sometimes referred to as word types).
- 26. Can you answer this question? Q. How many of the words in the sentence would you expect to find in the dictionary? A. 6 or 2 Why 6? The dictionary is not a list of actual/base word forms but of ‘dictionary words’. We will find ‘cat’ and ‘dog’ but not ‘cats’ and ‘dogs’; we will find ‘walk’ and ‘talk’ but not ‘walked’ and ‘talked’. ‘-s’ and ‘-ed’ are not in the dictionary at all, thus 6: CAT, DOG WALK, TALK, the, and
- 27. Can you answer this question? Q. How many of the words in the sentence would you expect to find in the dictionary? A. 6 or 2 Why 2? But if we mean how many actual/base word forms the answer will be 2 (the, and). Look it up and see!
- 28. Can you answer this question? Q. Do sentences grow on trees? A. Yes Why? Sentences are structured strings of words. The string of words ‘Sentences grow on trees’ is recognisable as a well-formed sentence of English. By contrast ‘sentences grow trees on’ or ‘trees on grow sentences’ are simply word salad. One way to show that sentences have structure is to identify which words go together to form units. So ‘on trees’ is a unit (Where do sentences grow?); so is ‘grow on trees’ (What do sentences do?) and so is ‘sentences’ (what grow on trees?). However, the strings ‘sentences grow’ or ‘grow on’ do not relate to sensible questions and are not units in this sentence.
- 29. Syntax Sentences grow on trees S NP VP N V PP NP P N Sentences also grow on trees like this…
- 30. Syntax The relations of words in sentences is from a branch of Linguistics called ‘Syntax’ S NP N V VP PP P Sentence Noun Phrase Noun Verb Preposition Preposition Phrase Verb Phrase Key
- 31. Can you answer this question? Q. Can colourless green ideas sleep furiously? A. Yes and no! Why yes? Yes… because this sentence is grammatically correct – that is the nouns, verbs, adjectives are in the right place for an English sentence. zzz
- 32. Can you answer this question? Q. Can colourless green ideas sleep furiously? A. Yes and no! Why no? No…because you can’t make sense of it in the ‘real world’. This demonstrates that it is not grammar alone that makes a sentence sensible, but the context in which it is created. In the ‘real world’ a colour can’t be colourless and an idea can’t be green. The world of the imagination is another matter, however! zzz
- 33. Semantics The branch of linguistics dealing with meaning is called Semantics. zzz
- 34. Can you answer this question? Q. Who taught you to speak? A. You did Why? You might think that it is your parents who taught you how to speak, but you have really taught yourself. Certainly your parents offer you the ‘model’ of the language or languages you are going to learn but you came into the world equipped with a kind of ready-made language processor that helped you to sort out how the language you were hearing actually worked.
- 35. Working out the rules Have you ever heard a child say ‘I dided it’ or ‘I bringed it’? What do you think is going on here? They won’t have heard their parents saying these words, so where did they come from?
- 36. Language Acquisition This is the branch of Linguistics that studies the ways in which children learn language. When Linguistics looks at how we learn a second or foreign language this is called Second Language Acquisition.
- 37. So what precisely is Linguistics? "Linguistics is the science of language. It is the subject whose practitioners devote their energy to understanding why human language is the way it is. They study the history, acquisition, structure, and use of as many languages as possible. It would be nice to study them all, but life's too short."
- 38. So what precisely is Linguistics? Since language enters into almost every area of human activity, the application of linguistic analysis can be extremely broad, encompassing almost any area where language is a practical concern. For example: • language learning and teaching • language in new technologies • writing systems • dictionaries • translation • language issues • multilingual societies • linguistic difficulties • communication between different social, cultural, ethnic groups • endangered languages • linguistic input to computer systems • …and many more!
- 39. Week 1 Discussion: Answer ONE of the following questions. "Since speech is more basic than writing, it is not worthwhile to study writing in any way. " Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Why do you think linguists are more concerned with descriptive grammars than with prescriptive grammars? Would language change if we put effort into advocating prescriptive rules? Give evidence.