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Midterm Study Set
terms and concepts from the study guide
75
Other
Undergraduate 4
10/31/2012

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Term
Word
Definition
set of discrete sounds (or gestures) combined to form meaningful elements. Can stand alone.
Term
Sentence
Definition
syntactic category of expressions consisting minimally of NP, Aux, VP
Term
Text
Definition
written expression of language
Term
Language
Definition
system of communication with creative aspect
Term
How to analyze language
Definition
divide speech into units.
Analysis of phonemes, componential analysis, lexical analysis
Term
Linguistics
Definition
(systematic) study of language
Term
Differences between languages
Definition
sounds, structure.
phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, lexicon
Vocabulary, phonemes, words, syntax
Term
Grammar
Definition
the mental representation of a speaker’s linguistic competence, what a speaker knows about a language
Term
normative rules
Definition
prescriptive grammar rules
Term
metaphorical implications of the word "language"
Definition
Language is the source of human life and power.
Language is where humans deviate from the rest of the animal kingdom.
Term
What does a linguist observe?
Definition
Spoken language mostly
Term
Difference between form and function
Definition
Form=word. phonological or gestural representation of a morpheme or word
Function=how it's used/what it means
how the word is actually used
Term
Function of a language
Definition
to be able to communicate
Term
changes a language can undergo
Definition
sounds, lexical, semantic, syntactic changes
Term
Sociolinguistic factors (change a language)
Definition
social factors outside the language system. their affect on a language (foreigninfluence, social need)
Term
psycholinguistic factors (change a language)
Definition
factors that reside in the structure of the language and minds of the speakers. their affect on a language.
Term
Language change over time
Definition
addition of vocab to accomodate new items/ideas. semantic shift (mouse/mouse, bookmark/bookmark)
Term
Instances when we can't produce the equivalent term in another language
Definition
neologisms
Term
What is the sound inventory like?
Definition
the sounds of all languages of the world together make up a limited set of sounds that humans can produce. Each language is a unique combination of these. Therefore the sound inventory is varied,but finite.
Term
Linguistic sign
Definition
sounds or gestures (morphemes or sign movements) that have a form bound to a meaning in a single unit
Term
Signifier
Definition
1 of 2 parts of a linguistic sign. series of sounds/letters that make up the sign
Term
Signified
Definition
1 of 2 parts of a linguistic sign. the semantic meaning of the sign.
Term
Significatum
Definition
universal nature or essence the word signifies
Term
signifans
Definition
what words mean in a specific context
Term
lexicon
Definition
vocabulary
Term
linear form of language
Definition
we have to listen to a language in a one-after-the-other form because that's how humans can both produce and perceive language
Term
spoken chain
Definition
transmission from a speaker, words in a row
Term
Pictorial communication-why it works, even though it's non-linear
Definition
eyes have time to wander and you can start taking in a picture and interpreting it at any place, however you want and will still be able to perceive it.
Term
Importance of order and succession in language. Importance in English specifically.
Definition
important depending on the language, in English it is especially important.
Term
How many sentences are there in a given language?
Definition
Infinitely many
Term
Number of successive morphemes
Definition
There are limited in some languages (English), but not in others (German)
Term
More words or morphemes in a language?
Definition
There are more words in a language than morphemes
Term
Problem in numbering phonemes
Definition
variations in pronunciation (dialect, region, etc.) cause a problem with this
Term
variations in a given language
Definition
allophones/dialects
Term
How can you characterize questions?
Definition
Tone goes up at the end of the phrase
Term
Melody and pitch matters?
Definition
there are natural stress points and it makes it difficult to understand if those are used "improperly". Also this aspect can be used to convey the emotional "subtext" behind a phrase (I'm mad about that, I'm excited about that, etc.)
Term
Suprasegment
Definition
tone, stress, and prosody
Term
second articulation
Definition
pre-stage of syntax; how the individual words work and are put together
Term
ambiguity
Definition
lack of clarity.
multiple meanings
Term
minimal pair
Definition
two words that are identical except for one phoneme that occurs in the same position in each word
Term
RP English
Definition
standard accents of Standard English in England
Term
accent of American English
Definition
General American
Term
Affix
Definition
a bound morpheme attached to a stem or root.
Term
prefix
Definition
an affix that is attached to the beginning of a morpheme (‘in’ intolerable)
Term
suffix
Definition
an affix that is attached to the end of a morpheme (‘er’ taller)
Term
infix
Definition
a bound morpheme that is inserted in the middle of another morpheme
Term
circumfix
Definition
bound morpheme, parts of which occur in a word both before and after the root
Term
compound
Definition
a word composed of two or more words (washcloth, childproof)
Term
acronym
Definition
a word composed of the initials of several words (PET scan for positron emission tomography scan)
Term
back-formation
Definition
creation of a new word by removing an affix from an old word (donate from donation, edit from editor)
Term
descriptive grammar
Definition
model of the mental grammar, what speakers know about their language
Term
prescriptive grammar
Definition
grammarians attempts to legistlate what the speakers’ grammatical rules should be
Term
open-class words
Definition
class of lexical content words; category that adds new words (nouns, verbs)
Term
closed-class words
Definition
functional category that rarely has new words added to it (prepositions, conjunctions)
Term
intransitive verb
Definition
a verb that must not have a direct object complement (sleep)
Term
transitive verb
Definition
a verb that selects an obligatory non-phrase compliment (find)
Term
phrase structure rules
Definition
a way to describe a given language’s syntax
Term
passive voice
Definition
verbal complex contains “to be” followed by a verb in participle found (I was found, the soup was eaten)
Term
componential analysis
Definition
description of the meaning of words through structured sets of semantic features; present, absent, indifferent
Term
semantics
Definition
study of linguistic meaning of morphemes, words, phrases, sentences
Term
pragmatics
Definition
study of how context and situation affect meaning
Term
speech acts
Definition
the action or intent that a speaker accomplishes when using language in context, the meaning of which is inferred by the hearer(s)
Term
indirect speech acts
Definition
an indirect illocutionary act; the speaker communicates to the hearer more than he actually says
Term
true homonym
Definition
do not share origins/meaning (skate, skate)
Term
polysemous homonym
Definition
related origin/meaning (mouth, mouth)
Term
metonym
Definition
a word substituted for another word or expression with which it is closely associated (“the crown” for monarchy)
Term
hyponym
Definition
words whose meanings are specific instances of a more general word (red, white and blue are hyponyms for color)
Term
retronym
Definition
an expression that would have once been redundant, but because of societal or technological changes they are non-redundant (silent movie, analog clock)
Term
Laswell formula
Definition
Who, says what, in what channel, to whom, with what effect? Who (says) What (to) Whom (in) What Channel (with) What Effect
Term
semantics
Definition
the study of the LINGUISTIC MEANING of morphemes, words, phrases and sentences
Term
syntax
Definition
the RULES of sentence formation, the component of mental grammar that represents speakers knowledge of the STRUCTURE of phrases and sentences
Term
lexicon
Definition
a speakers mental dictionary
Term
phonetics
Definition
study of linguistic SPEECH SOUNDS, how they are produced, how they are perceived and their physical aspects
Term
phonology
Definition
SOUND SYSTEM of a language, component of grammar that includes inventory of sounds and rules for their combination and pronunciation (in english can't start a word with nk)
Term
sound inventory is made up of
Definition
phonetic and phonemic units
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