COMD 2050 Test 1

What was considered to be the key element in Kanzi's language learning?

Kanzi learned not by being taught, but by being exposed to, and observing, a kind of language in use at a very early age. (It was originally being taught to his mother)

Words are developed from imitations of sounds in the environment Also called the "bow-wow" theory

Natural Sound Source

Examples of Pooh-pooh theory

Ouch! Ooh! Ah!

How are vowels different than consonants?

There is no constriction of the air. Where the tongue is placed distinguishes the different sounds- classified by the vertical and horizontal position of the tongue.

In French, the words /bo/ for beau and /bO/ for bon seem to have different vowels. Are these two vowels allophones or phonemes in French?

They are phonemes because the difference in pronunciation changes the meaning.

why are interjections such as Ooh! or Yuck! considered to be unlikely sources of human speech sounds?

They are produced with sudden intakes of breath, which is opposite of ordinary talk. They are emotional reactions that are not otherwise used in speech production.

transfer/exchange of information, conveying a messgae

communication

joining of two separate words to create a new single form ex. backpack

compounding

a change in one phoneme changes the meaning

contrastive property

change in the function of a word; ex. nouns become verbs

conversion

the process whereby a language is passed on from one generation to the next

cultural transmission

[theta] [eth] ex: bath, the

dentals

tongue tip behind upper teeth or between teeth

dentals

use of affixes tacked onto words to create new words

derivation

combination of two vowel sounds

diphthongs

humans can refer to past and future time

displacement

human language is organized at two levels or layers simultaneously

duality

the process of not pronouncing a sound segment that might be present in the deliberately careful pronunciation of a word in isolation

elision

the study of the origin and history of a word

etymology

lack of productivity

fixed reference

tongue tip taps the alveolar ridge briefly ex. butter

flap

airflow restricted, resulting in friction [f] [v] [s] [z] [h]

fricatives

humans have an innate capacity for language

genetic source

tongue is in motion to or from the vowel [w] [j]

glides

"speaking in tongues"

glossolalia

space between the vocal folds closes briefly then released [?]

glottal stop

[h] [?]

glottals

glottis is open and air passes through unchanged

glottals

abbreviations where letters are produced individually

initialism

How are speech sounds consistently represented in written form?

international phonetic alphabet Speech sounds are represented by symbols in brackets

[f] [v]

labiodentals

upper teeth and lower lip

labiodentals

conventional, rule governed communication system (uniquely human)

language

"voice box" contains human vocal folds

larynx

scientific study of language

linguisitics

people who study linguistics. Discover and describe the rules of language

linguists

air flows around the tongue [l] [r]

liquids

two words that differ by one phoneme occurring in the same position ex. bet & bat

minimal pair

a group of words can be differentiated, each one from the others, by changing one phoneme

minimal set

Examples of physical adaptation

teeth: even and upright lips: more flexible mouth: small and connected to nasal cavity tongue: muscular allowing precise movements larynx: "voice box" is lower down

Manipulation and combination of objects, similar to the manipulation and combination of sounds

tool making source

[k] [g] ex. sing

velars

back of tongue and soft palate/velum

velars

What 3 things are used to classify speech (consonant) sounds?

voice, place and manner

When the vocal folds are drawn together, the air from the lungs repeatedly pushes them apart as it passes through, creating a vibration effect. Sounds produced in this way are described as ______

voiced

when the vocal folds are spread apart, the air from the lungs passes between them unimpeded. Sounds produced in this way are described as ___________

voiceless

What makes up the rhyme?

vowel (nucleus) coda

If Sarah could use a gray plastic shape to convey the meaning of the word "red," which property does her "language" seem to have?

Arbitrariness

6 Properties of Human Language

1. Displacement 2. Productivity 3. Reflexive 4. Arbitrariness 5. Duality 6. Cultural Transmission

What are the 7 sources/theories of language?

1. Divine Source 2. Natural Sound Source/Theory 3. Social Interaction Source 4. Pooh-Pooh Theory 5. Physical Adaptation Source 6. Tool-Making Source 7. Genetic Source

Example of natural sound source

All modern languages have some words with pronunciations that seem to echo sounds heard in nature - Onomatopoeia (bang, splash, boom)

Language is given by a higher power

Divine source

Examples of social interaction source

Early humans may have developed a set of grunts, groans, and curses used when lifting, carrying, etc

How did the Gardeners try to show that Washoe was not simply repeating signs made by interacting humans?

She could combine certain words into sentences and even invented some words such as "water bird" for duck.

What kind of evidence is used to support the idea that language is culturally transmitted?

We acquire our first language as children in a culture. An infant born to Korean parents in Korea, but adopted and brought up from birth by English speakers in the US, will have physical characteristics inherited from his natural parents, but will inevitably speak English

Examples of Divine Soure

a.) In the biblical tradition, God created Adam and "whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof" b.) 2 Newborns were ordered by an egyptian pharoh to be raised with goats. They uttered the word "bekos." People believe they were really just imitating the goats

new words formed from other word phrases ex. laser, nasa, scuba

acronyms

combination of a stop and a fricative

affricates

How is sound produced? 3 things

air + vibration + shaping

a set of phones that are all version of one phoneme

allophones

[t] [d] [s] [z] [n] [l] [r]

alveolars

tongue tip touches alveolar ridge (behind upper teeth)

alveolars

no natural or "iconic" relationship between a word and the object it describes

arbitrariness

the study of how speech sounds are made

articulatory phonetics

when two sound segments occur in sequence and some aspect of one segment is taken or "copied" by the other

assimilation

3 coarticulation effects

assimilation nasalization elision

type of reduction that may result in a noun being used as a verb

backformation

[p] [b] [m] [w]

bilabials

both lips

bilabials

joining of two separate forms to create a new form ex. brunch

blending

common source of new words; taking words from other languages

borrowing

multisyllabic word that is reduced to a single form ex. jen for jennifer

clipping

syllable with an onset, nucleus and coda

closed syllable

the process of making one sound almost at the same time as the next sound

coarticulation

least common process of word formation; usual sources are new products or concepts

coinage

7 ways in which new words can enter a language

coinage borrowing blending clipping compounding backformation conversion

air flows out of the nasal cavity when the velum is lowered [n] [m]

nasals

new word

neologism

vowel or vowel like sound

nucleus

example of tool making source

one could grasp 1 rock = make 1 sound à grasp 2 rocks = create other sounds (the contact between the two rocks changes)

3 things that come together to form a syllable

onset nucleus coda

What are the basic elements of a syllable? (2)

onset and rhyme

syllable with just an onset and nucleus

open syllable

tongue near hard palette (roof of mouth)

palatals

[j] ex. yellow

palatlals

longer cavity above the vocal folds. acts as a resonator or increased range and clarity of sounds

pharynx

the different versions of a sound type regularly produced in actual speech

phone

"abstract units" of phonology. they are meaning-distinguishing sounds. *mental representation represented with slash marks //

phonemes

the general study of the characteristics of speech sounds

phonetics

the study of the sound system of a language

phonology

sound combinations that are not permitted for a language

phonotactic constraints

permitted arrangement of sounds

phonotactics

Physical features particularly adapted for speech in humans

physical adaptation source

Speech developed from instinctive sounds people make in emotional circumstances

pooh pooh theory

humans are continually creating new expression by manipulating their linguistic resources to describe new objects and situations

productivity

humans are clearly able to reflect on language and its uses

reflexivity

Group of people having to coordinate a joint effort during a physical task Also called the "yo-he-ho" theory

social interaction source

human vocal communication

speech

airflow stopped briefly then released [p] [b] [t] [d] [k] [g]

stops/ plosives