Shared Flashcard Set

Details

LX 250
Chapters 1 & 2 Notes
80
Other
Undergraduate 4
09/15/2011

Additional Other Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
hallmark of all aspects of language
Definition
systematic rule-governed creativity
Term
definition of linguistics
Definition
scientific study of language
Term
linguist's definition of grammar
Definition
all the information necessary to characterize what it is people know when they "know a language"
Term
linguistic competence
Definition
the ability to produce and understand an unlimited number of utterances, including any that are novel and unfamiliar, and to recognize that certain utterances are not acceptable in their language
Term
the components of grammar
Definition
phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics
Term
Prescriptive grammar
Definition
"how you are supposed to talk" these rules are arbitrary, are taught (ending with a preposition, the split infinitive..)
Term
descriptive grammar
Definition
"how you actually talk" tacit knowledge
Term
syntax
Definition
word placement in sentences
Term
diachronic linguistics
Definition
concerned with language change, examines the development of lang over time. change is always occurring: we can look at modern languages diachronically
Term
synchronic linguistics
Definition
concerned with states, rather than change. examines the structure of languages at a given point in time. shift towards this aot diachronic in the 20th century.
Term
ferdinand de saussure
Definition
at age 20 makes most important discovery in history of diachronic linguistics. his 1916 course marks the beginning modern synchronic linguistics. for him, language is a social fact.
Term
language
Definition
conventionalized pairing of form with meaning. form can be visual (writing) physical (signs) auditory (sound) etc. takes a finite set of elements, and uses them to create a potentially infinite set of utterances.
Term
saussurean sign
Definition
pairings of a sound-image with a concept. psychological entity.
Term
signifier
Definition
sound-image. this is the sound coming out of someone's mouth, so it has to be a sound-image and not just a sound. gives extra info like whose voice it is
Term
signified
Definition
designated concept
Term
arbitrariness of language
Definition
languages are arbitrary- we have to "agree" that words mean what they do- but not all areas of language are equally arbitrary (for ex onomatopoeia)
Term
langue
Definition
the social side of speech. exists due to a "contract" signed by the whole community. the obj of synchronic linguistic investigation.
Term
parole
Definition
realized speech events, sentences, conversations
Term
formal oppositions
Definition
what phonetic differences create a difference in meaning. for us voicing is one, while in chinese tone is one.
Term
syntagmatic axis
Definition
whether the order in which signs combine determines sentence meaning
Term
paradigmatic axis
Definition
meanings depends on the selection of one element over another for inclusion in a sentences. cons. different language's carving of the color spectrum into signifieds
Term
types of english word formation
Definition
transforming nouns into verbs; lawful sound combinations (sproke vs mbood)
Term
competence
Definition
(chomsky) knowledge that a native speaker would have (~langue)
Term
performance
Definition
(chomsky) actual language use, any external representation of grammar.
Term
goal of shomskyan linguistics
Definition
characterize the nature of human linguistic competence (represented in the mind as mental grammar)
Term
universal grammar
Definition
innate system of categories, operations, and principles shared by all human languages
Term
larynx
Definition
houses vocal folds
Term
voicing
Definition
airflow through the vocal folds. faster vibration=higher pitch
Term
phys. of palatals
Definition
"hard palate" roof of mouth
Term
phys of velers
Definition
"soft palate" back of roof of mouth
Term
phys. of glottal
Definition
originate at vocal folds (in the space called the glottus)
Term
phys. of fricatives
Definition
air forced through narrow constriction creating turbulence. positioned for maximum acoustic effect
Term
variants of american english 'r'
Definition
bunched: tongue tip behind bottom teeth & raise back of tongue. retroflex: curl tip of tongue backwards.
Term
phys. of round vowels
Definition
produced with some protrusion or rounding of the lips
Term
in english, all rounds vowels are
Definition
back
Term
the open o
Definition
no differentiation between [+back +low +vowel] (cot) and [+back +mid +rounded +vowel] (caught)
Term
english glides
Definition
essentially high vowels with consonantal character
Term
sonorants
Definition
vowels, glides, liquids, nasals. in english only sonorants can be syllabic
Term
obstruents
Definition
stops, fricatives, affricates. cannot form a syllable nucleus in english.
Term
phoneme
Definition
minimal unit of sound capable of distinguishing one word from another
Term
allophone
Definition
a pronunciation of a phoneme
Term
free variation
Definition
two sounds can be freely substituted for each other- cannot form a minimal pair from them- must be allophones of the same phoneme
Term
complimentary distribution
Definition
lack of overlap in environments. minimal pairs impossible. we assume they are allophones of the same phoneme. CD is what allows us to make predictable rules like aspiration and nasalization.
Term
determining the pronunciation of phonemes in any given context
Definition
moving from a phonemic (mental) representation to a phonetic (physical) realization. we get from one to the other with phonological rules.
Term
slips of the tongue tell us...
Definition
that the slip occurs at the level of the phoneme and then in realization they get phonetically altered.
Term
statement of a phonological rule must contain
Definition
specification of the environments in which it occurs. remember, phonological rules are generalizations based on natural classes.
Term
natural classes
Definition
groups of sounds sharing some feature
Term
distinctive features
Definition
characteristics such as +voice that let us distinguish one phoneme from another.
Term
palatization
Definition
high vowel exerts a palatalizing force bc it is dragging consonants back towards the palate
Term
vowel reduction rule
Definition
V -> schwa / ____ [-stress]
Term
order of some english phonological rules
Definition
nasalization->aspiration->reduction
Term
flapping rule
Definition
[+alveolar, +stop] -> flap / [+sonorant] ___ V[-stress]
Term
neutralization
Definition
a rule that does away with underlying contrasts, such that two forms that are distinct phonemically become identical on the surface. for ex flapping and verb reduction.
Term
canadian raising
Definition
[^w] before voiceless consonants, [aw] elsewhere
Term
raising and flapping
Definition
raising comes first
Term
voicing assimilation rule
Definition
/-z/->[-voice]/C[-voice]___; leaves out [ez] as in judges, which is why we had to posit a new rule for schwa insertion
Term
morpheme
Definition
smallest unit of meaning in language
Term
allomorphs
Definition
various pronounced forms of a given morpheme
Term
kinds of morphemes
Definition
roots, prefixes, suffixes, infixes. free or bound (all affixes are bound)
Term
some bound roots
Definition
de-ceive, re-ceive; trans-fer, re-fer
Term
selectional restrictions
Definition
morphemes can only combine with certain other morphemes
Term
general rule of category changing affixes
Definition
-generally- prefixes are non-category-changing and suffixes are category-changing
Term
ways of representing affixes (using "en" as an example)
Definition
'X-en'; [ ]adj -en]v
Term
agentive "er" vs comparative "er"
Definition
runner/jogger vs brighter/smarter. words with identical surface forms may be different in underlying structure.
Term
stem/base
Definition
whatever an affix is being added to. might be a word w/ mult morphemes
Term
two types of morphological processes
Definition
derivational and inflectional. in general deriv. precedes inflec, meaning you have to create the word before you can add grammatical info to it.
Term
derivational affixes
Definition
create new words. change the meaning of the forms they are added to.
Term
inflectional morphology
Definition
provides additional information, often grammatical
Term
morphology
Definition
the part of grammar that is concerned with words and word formation.
Term
some inflectional categories
Definition
number, gender, animacy, tense...
Term
case marking
Definition
inflectional morpheme. nominative (subjecthood), accusative (marks DObjs), genitive (possession)
Term
productivity
Definition
some affixes are more restricted than others in their application. in eng 'able' is very productive.
Term
compounds
Definition
built out of more than one root
Term
compound head
Definition
in english, on the right
Term
endocentric compounds; exocentric compounds
Definition
qualifies the head; doesn't
Term
recursive process
Definition
allows you to imbed parts of a similar type within one instance of that type potentially infinitely
Term
portmanteau morphs
Definition
affixes that realize more than one grammatical meaning or function (russian am- dative & plural)
Term
inflection of english compounds
Definition
entire construction is inflected by inflecting the compound's head. so it inherits any irregular properties.
Term
an argument that compounding precedes inflection
Definition
inflection does not happen inside of compounds (hatsrack)
Term
reconciling exceptions to inflected compounds rule
Definition
lice-infested and teeth-marks are irregular. almsgiving and scissors drawer- alms and scissors don't have obvious singulars.
Supporting users have an ad free experience!