ENG 143 Exam 1

Duality

Human language is organized at two levels or layers simultaneously. At one level, we have distinct sounds, and, at another level, we have distinct meanings. We are capable of producing a very large number of sound combinations which are distinct in meaning.

Productivity

Humans creating new expressions and novel utterances by manipulating their linguistic resources to describe new objects and situations. Essentially means that the potential numbers of utterances in any human language is infinite. As for other creatures, it does not seem possible for them to create new terms in their language.

Cultural Transmission

The ability to acquire a language in a culture with other speakers and not from parental genes. The process whereby a language is passed on from one generation to the next is described as cultural transmission. The closest proof of animals having this property are birds If a bird was to be isolated, it will create it's own songs. However, other birds would not recognize it.

Arbitrariness

There is no "natural" connection between a linguistic form and its meaning. You can't just write an English word and expect people to know what it means by its shape. For the majority of animal signals, there does appear to be a clear connection between the conveyed message and the signal used to convey it.

[Ir]

voice, Alveolar, Liquids

[d]

voice, Alveolar, Stop

[j]

voice, Palatal, Glides

[tʃ]

voiceless, Alveo-palatal, Affricates

[t]

voiceless, Alveolar, Stop

[ʔ]

voiceless, Glottal, Stop

[f]

voiceless, Labiodental, Fricatives

[k]

voiceless, Velar, Stops

[p]

voiceless, bilabial, stops

Describe the Origin of Language: The Genetic Source

A human baby's body rapidly changes that help our body to be able to produce speech. These changes happen to all human babies, regardless if they can speak or not. The capacity of a language is innate. It isn't tied to a specific variety of language. We know our capacity for language is innate; however, we still never discovered that "language-gene."

What is a critical period? What happens if the critical period passes? Share an example with Genie. What were her language abilities and what part of the brain did she use? What does Genie's case tell us about the brain function?

A period when the human brain is most ready to receive input and learn a particular language. For any one of a number reasons, then he or she will find it almost impossible to learn language later on. However, she was able to learn a large number of English words, providing evidence against the critical period theory. Tests showed that she had no left hemisphere language facility, but those same tests showed that she was using the right hemisphere of her brain. Genie has help make the conclusion that our capacity for language is not limited to only one or two specific, but is based on more complex connection extending throughout.

Displacement

Allows language users to talk about things and, or, events not present in the immediate time. It even allows us to talk about things and places hose existence we cannot even be sure of. Often time, this property is said to be limited for humans only, because of animals have the exclusive here and now communication. However, bees have a limited form of displacement with their ability to communicate the location of a well source of nectar.

Describe the Origin of Language: The Tool-Making Source

By about 2 million years ago, there is evidence that humans have developed preferential right-handedness and had become capable of making stone tools. Tool-making, and using both hands, are evidence of the brain at work. These functions in the brain, speaking, and tool making, or using tools, are very close to the left hemisphere of the brain, where the speaking function of the brain is located. Yet, as far as we know, other primates are not doing this.

Describe the Origin of Language: The Physical Adaptation Source

Physical features humans possess, especially those that are distinct from other creatures, may have been able to support speech production. Ancestors made a transition to an upright posture, with bipedal (two feet) locomotion and revised role for the front limbs. The reconstructed vocal tract of a Neanderthal suggests that some consonant - like sound distinctions would have been possible Yet, the physical features do not necessarily lead to speech production.

Describe the Origin of Language: The Social Interaction Source

Related to the natural sound source theory, it is the social interaction source, also known as the Yo-he-ho theory. The idea is that the sounds of a person involved in physical effort could be the source of our language. Especially when that physical effort involved several people and the interaction had to be coordinated. However, apes and other primates live in social groups and use grunts and social calls, but they do not seem to have developed the capacity for speech.

Describe the Origin of Language: The Natural Sound Source

The basic idea is that primitive words could have been imitations of the natural sounds which early men and women heard around them. For example, there are such words as splash, bang, boo, bow-wow, etc. In fact, this approach has been called the "bow-wow" theory. words that sound similar to the noises they describe are examples of onomatopoeia. It also has been suggested that the original sounds of language may have come from natural cries of emotion. However, these are very small parts of any language. Another problem is that these expressions are different in other languages.

Describe the Origin of Language: The Divine Source

The origin where religion is thought to be origin of language. For example, in the bible, God created Adam and "whatsoever Adam called away living creatures that was the name thereof." Evidence that Adam was the first to speak any language and given the ability to speak by God. The theory goes, if human infants were allowed to grow up without hearing any language around them, then they would spontaneously begin using the original language god has given. However, the counterargument for this origin is experiments done that show children grew up in isolation did not start to speak a new language.

[ʒ]

Voice, Alveo Palatal, Fricative

[d͡ʒ]

Voice, Alveo palatal, Affricate

[z]

Voice, Alveolar, Fricative

[n]

Voice, Alveolar, Nasal

[w]

Voice, Bilabial, Glides

[b]

Voice, Bilabial, Stop

[m]

Voice, Bilabial, Stop

[ð]

Voice, Interdental, Fricatives

[v]

Voice, Labiodental, Fricative

[ŋ]

Voiced, Velar, Nasal

[g]

Voiced, Velar, Stop

[ʃ]

Voiceless, Alveo-palatal, Fricative

[s]

Voiceless, Alveolar, Fricative

[h]

Voiceless, Glottal, Fricative

[θ]

Voiceless, interdental, Fricative