LIN 1300 Midterm: LIN1300 Midterm 1 Review

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Linguistics
• Course: LIN 1300
• Professor: Laura Michelle Kastronic

Document Summary

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. We study language, not a language or languages. It is scientific because it adheres to scientific ideas about what constitutes progress. *some of competence is revealed through performance. : your hidden knowledge of language the way you produce and comprehend language. Descriptive grammars describe the natural linguistic knowledge and behaviour of normal speakers (how language is actually used). This one is what linguists are interested in. Prescriptive grammar describes an artificial system, and quite an arbitrary one. It is how you should" speak, grammatical rules you should" follow etc. 9 features: mode of communication, semanticity, pragmatic function, interchangeability, cultural transmission, Animal communication systems have: mode of communication, semanticity, pragmatic function. Some animal communication systems have: interchangeability, cultural transmission, arbitrariness and. No animal communication systems have: displacement, productivity discreteness. Your writing (this is the one we are most interested in) *writing is not a language, it represents a language.