ANT253H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Polysemy, Snoop Dogg, Sociolinguistics
Document Summary
Systematic study of the structure of words and phrases necessary in order to understand the meanings imprinted in them better and in order to assess their aesthetic effects. Aristotle (384-322 bce) put forward the view of language as a formal system that could be analyzed methodically by identifying the parts of a sentence. Connected the study to logical method hence logos to refer to both word and study thus identifying language as the means through which logical thinking manifests itself. Dionysius thrax - parts of the speech related to each other systematically in the construction of sentences. Named them nouns, verbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, adverbs, and participles. Notion that good grammar mirrored elegance and literary became part of social ideology - still a thing today. Behind this is the idea that certain forms of language constitute a norm. Can deviate in one of two directions - up and down. Up - a sign of a cultured (literate) language user.