LINGUIST 1A03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Pragmatics, Phonetics
18 Feb 2018
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Bonus points can reduce up to 6% off final exam (40% instead of 46%) What is language: a method of communication used in exchange of information, that is, symbolic, creative, systematic. Animal means of communication: scent, light, electricity, colour, posture, gesture, facial expressions, vocalizations. Referent + token = sign: ex: referent = plant, having a trunk, with leaves or needles". The token is often spoken, whereas the referent is what is being referred to when speaking the token. Ex: a picture of a female or male marking a restroom sign is the token, referring to the male or female correlated bathroom. Indexical signs are directly linked with their referent. Ex: cat meowing in pain: the token (the meow) caused by the symptom/emotional state of the cat (referent) Ex: stop lights, no real connection as to why. Symbolic signs are arbitrarily related to their referent.
