ANT253H1 Lecture : ANT253-LEC 2
Document Summary
Need to be exposed to language to learn language. Puberty is the critical age for language exposure. Words are like molecules and can be broken up, but only to a certain point (panini) Articles: determine things in a certain way (the cat is speaking about a specific cat, articles point at certain objects) Pronoun: replaces noun (i, you, he, she . etc. ) Conjunction: joins words (and, or, but, etc. ) Adverb: tells you about the action (verb) Adjective: makes a comment on the noun (big, hairy, ugly, etc. ) Complex sentences can be broken down into 2 or more simple sentences. A white man born in china, who speaks chinese, is chinese. Our bodies evolve (evolution) so language must also evolve. Comparing languages and finding that they are quite similar, almost as if they are related. Languages evolved toward simplicity (easier to say) Theory of laziness (principle of least effort) Protolanguage existed but never left a trace eventually led to english.
