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What is Linguistics?
- A scientific study of Language
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What is not Linguistics?
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Not a way to solve the problems of language users
- problems/difficult with word, punctuation,...
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not an informal interest in language
- scabble, crosswords, dictionaries
- using a language is not
- interest in learning languages - not
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What is Language?
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Characteristics of language
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1. Duality of Structure or Patterning
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Two levels of patterning
- 1. phonemes to words
- Meaningless units to arbitrary signs
- Compounding of sounds into words
- 2. sentences
- new meaningful larger units
- Compounding of words into sentences
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2. Creativity or Productivity
- Ability to produce new messages on any topic at any time
- Never heard of before - a sentence
- Novel utterances
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3. Interchangeability
- Male/ female both send / receive massages
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4. Cultural Transmission
- Not genetically transmitted
- Non-instinct
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5. Displacement
- Able to refer to events remote in space and time
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6. Specialization
- Able to speak while doing other works
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7. Arbitrariness
- No natural or inherent connection b/w a written word (sound) and its reference (symbols)
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8. Redundancy
- two markers to show - question, etc
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9. Discreteness
- phonemes, syllables, morphemes, words....
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10. Reflexiveness
- communication systems to discuss the system itself
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What is Scientific?
- A linguists explains the observed data of natural languages alive or dead by constructing hypotheses, theories and laws
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Dimensions of linguistics
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1. Descriptive
- establishing the facts of a particular language system
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2. Diachronic
- The study of language change
- Historical development of the language through time
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3. Synchronic
- The study of language states, regardless of their history
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4. Theoretical
- establishing general principles for the study of all languages
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5. Comparative
- focus on similarities and differences b/w languages
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6. Applied linguistics
- application of the concepts and methods to other areas -- language teaching, translation, testing....
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Levels of linguistic analysis
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1. Phonetics
- The articulation and perception of speech sounds
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2. Phonology
- The patterning of speech sounds
- The study of the organization of the units of the sounds of speech into syllables
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3. Morphology
- The formation of Words
- The study of words
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4. Syntax
- The formation of phrases and sentences
- Deals with the combination of words into phrases, clauses and sentences
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5. Semantics
- The interpretation of words and sentences
- The study of meaning in all its aspects
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Interdisciplinary fields of linguistics / David Crystal (1987)
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1. Anthropological linguistics
- Lang variation and use in relation to the cultural patterns and beliefs
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2. Applied linguistics
- applies equally to several other fields
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3. Biological linguistics
- biological conditions for lang devlopment
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4. Clinical linguistics
- analysis of lang disorders
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5. Computational linguistics
- fields of computer translation
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6. Educational linguistics
- teaching and learning lang
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7. Ethnolinguistics
- ethnic types and behaviour
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8. Geographical linguistics
- regional distribution of lang/dialects, geographical factor in the environment
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9. Mathematical linguistics
- mathematical properties of lang, as algebra, statistics...
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10. Neurolinguistics
- brain's control over the processes of speech and understanding
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11. Philosophical linguistics
- in the elucidation of philosophical concepts
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12. Psycholinguistics
- linguistics behaviour - memory, attention
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13. Sociolinguistics
- interaction b/w lang and structure and functioning of society
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14. Statistical linguistics
- Statistical or quantitative properties of lang
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15. Theolinguistics
- used by biblical scholars, theologians, religious belief
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Historical Context
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1. Traditional Approach
- 5th -19th C
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Linguists
- Plato
- Aristotle
- Patanjali
- Katyayana
- Dionysius
- Thrax
- Protgoras
- Varro
- Quintillian
- Donatus
- Subordinate to logic and philosophy
- only language of the great writers of that time "Pure, perfect, correct use"
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Prescriptive in nature
- What people ought to use
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2. Structural Approach
- 19th -1950s
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linguists
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Saussure
- Pairs of concepts
- Diachronic vs synchronic
- langue vs parole
- significant vs signife
- syntagmatic vs paradigmatic
- Humboldt
- Hjelmslev
- Boas
- Sapir
- Bloomfield
- Whorf
- Greenbery
- Trubetzkoy
- Harris
- Jocobson
- Autonomous science
- each language was treated with respect
- written, also spoken language
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Descriptive
- what native speakers actually used
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Use of Meaning in the description of grammatical categories - rejected
- to see description more scientific and more objective
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3. Cognitive Approach
- 1957 - now
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linguists
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Chomsky
- Generative grammar
- Transformational Generative linguistics
- Syntactic structures (1950s)
- LAD
- Language Acquisition of Device
- a branch of cognitive psychology