LINGUIS 5 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: International Phonetic Alphabet, Articulatory Phonetics, Vocal Tract
12 Oct 2013
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Document Summary
Hockett proposed to shed light on origin of language by comparing communication systems of different animals on the basis of 13 design features . These are supposed to be features that are shared by all languages of the world. To what extent do other communication systems have them: vocal auditory channel. Sign languages (like asl) were not well known in 1960. Tried to teach chimpanzees to talk but then realized they couldn"t, much easier for them to learn sign language: broadcast transmission and directional reception. Emerges from physics of sound and use of light (or gestures: rapid fading (transitoriness) Inherent in most signals transmitted by broadcast. Speech doesn"t naturally last/echo for a long time, allowing other messages: interchangeability. The same person can be both the speaker and the listener. The hearer can repeat what the speaker says. Phoneticians believe that everyone has a unique voice: physical differences in mouth etc.
