LING 111 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Cultural Studies, Comparative Linguistics, Ethnography
Document Summary
1. 1 what is language: monolinguals are people who only speak one language, bi- and multilingual people speak two or more languages. Language is a signal communication system employed by humans for passing a potentially infinite amount of information. Language is a system (meaning it includes an internal hierarchy of elements and laws of patterning) Language is a communication system (used for the exchange of potentially infinite amount of information) Language is a signal communication system (it employs signs, which means a particular set of sounds of letters represents something else) Language can be spoken (primary form), written, or gesture-based (also called sign languages ) Linguists typically assume any language with a written form originated first orally and acquired a written form: differences between a language and a communication system. Information that can be conveyed is potentially infinite in a language and limited in a communication system: systematicity; languages are well organized internally; they have complex hierarchal structures.
