LING 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Phoneme, Record Producer, Operant Conditioning Chamber
1
Friday, September 8th, 2017
Sound System (Phonology):
Sound system = phonology
- Speakers of a language know which sounds are used in that language and which sounds
are not
- Speakers also know how sounds in their language can be combined into
sequences/words
→ Ex:
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA):
- One sound = one symbol
→ E: ied = aist / tea = ti
- Good for all sounds found in human language
Word Structure (Morphology)
Word structure = morphology
- Speakers of a language know how to build words
→ Ex: English = cat (singular) vs. cat-s (plural)
- Just like the ase of fik, this koledge a e used to pedit ho uko ods
should behave
- Because we know how English forms plural words, we can predict that the plural of the
unko od ug should e ugs
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
2
Sentence Structure (Syntax):
Sentence structure = syntax
- Speakers of a language know how to combine individual words into sentences
- Speakers can tell that a structure has a correct structure even if the sentence is
nonsense
→ Ex: 1) Colorless green ideas sleep furiously = correct
2) *Ideas furiously green sleep colorless = incorrect
- Structure of a sentence is independent of its meaning
Meaning (Semantics):
Meaning = semantics
- Speakers of a language know the meaning of words and how to compute the meaning of
combinations of words
- For words, the relationship between form and meaning is arbitrary
→ Eglish at s. “eee uus
→ Eglish hike s. Niuea oa
- Sentence structure is divorced from sentence meaning
- There is of course some sound symbolism in language
→ Onomatopoetic ods like uzz o ue
Unconscious Knowledge:
- We know things that are never explicitly taught
- Active/passive formation English
→ 1. A) The baby chattered to us.
B) We were chattered to by the baby.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
3
2. A) The baby mattered to us.
B) ?
- *Ho is it that e ko that hatte a fo a passie ut atte aot?
What kind of rules are these? → Answer: Descriptive and not prescriptive rules
Prescriptive vs. Descriptive Rules:
Prescriptive rules must be told/taught → speakers may choose to disobey them
- Gives advice about how an individual should talk
- E: Dot ed ou setee ith a pepositio. → To ho did ou talk? = oet
s. Who did ou talk to? = ioet
- Dot use double negatives → e: I a ot goig ahee = oet s. I ait goig
ohee = incorrect
Descriptive rules are innate → speakers do not disobey them
- Desies soe aspet of a peso fudaetal koledge of thei laguage
Fo a liguisti poit of ie…
- No intruinsic linguistic reason why one way of speaking is superior to another
- Any language or language variety is based on a mental grammar; a system of linguistic
knowledge
- We can study and describe any such linguistic system (and compare them to one
another)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Speakers of a language know which sounds are used in that language and which sounds are not. Speakers also know how sounds in their language can be combined into sequences/words. E(cid:454): (cid:862)i(cid:272)ed(cid:863) = aist / (cid:862)tea(cid:863) = ti. Good for all sounds found in human language. Speakers of a language know how to build words. Ex: english = cat (singular) vs. cat-s (plural) Just like the (cid:272)ase of (cid:862)f(cid:396)i(cid:374)k(cid:863), this k(cid:374)o(cid:449)ledge (cid:272)a(cid:374) (cid:271)e used to p(cid:396)edi(cid:272)t ho(cid:449) u(cid:374)k(cid:374)o(cid:449)(cid:374) (cid:449)o(cid:396)ds should behave. Because we know how english forms plural words, we can predict that the plural of the unk(cid:374)o(cid:449)(cid:374) (cid:449)o(cid:396)d (cid:862)(cid:449)ug(cid:863) should (cid:271)e (cid:862)(cid:449)ugs(cid:863) Speakers of a language know how to combine individual words into sentences. Speakers can tell that a structure has a correct structure even if the sentence is nonsense. Ex: 1) colorless green ideas sleep furiously = correct. 2) *ideas furiously green sleep colorless = incorrect. Structure of a sentence is independent of its meaning.
