EL100 Reviewer: Language Theories

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Questions and Answers

What is the main concern of the Social Interaction Theory regarding the origin of language?

The supernatural origin of language

The use of gestures in communication

Language as a means of coordinating activities and cooperation (correct)

Humans imitating sounds in nature

Which branch of science studies how people produce sounds and the evolution of language?

Natural Science (correct)

Cultural Science

Formal Science

Social Science

What is the main idea behind the Onomatopoeia Theory?

Language originated from God or a supernatural being

Language developed as a means of coordinating activities

Language emerged from gestures

Language began with people imitating the sounds of nature (correct)

What is the term for language's ability to refer to itself?

Reflexivity Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the ability of language to be used to make false statements or talk about fictional narratives?

Prevarication Signup and view all the answers

Which branch of science conducts research on the history of languages and how they evolved?

Social Science Signup and view all the answers

What is the main idea behind the Divine Origin Theory?

Language is a gift from God or a supernatural being Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the ability of humans to communicate and interact with each other?

Language Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of a classical language?

It has significant historical and literary importance Signup and view all the answers

What is the main focus of Morphology?

The actual forms used to realize morphemes Signup and view all the answers

What is a lingua franca used for?

As a common means of communication between speakers of different native languages Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the process of inventing new words?

Coinage Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for words that cannot stand alone and are typically attached to another form?

Bound morphemes Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of Speech Act Theory?

The use of language to achieve an objective Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of Pragmalinguistics?

The integration of pragmatics and grammar Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of Sociopragmatics?

The social dimensions of pragmatics Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for words that describe a verb, an adjective, or another adverb?

Adverb Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the study of the arrangement of words to form sentences?

Syntax Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of Psychopragmatics?

The acquisition of pragmatic skills in a foreign language Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for words that represent things, places, people, animals, events, and so on?

Noun Signup and view all the answers

What is Broca's aphasia?

A type of non-fluent aphasia Signup and view all the answers

What is diglossia?

A situation where two distinct varieties of language are used in different social contexts Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the process of taking over words from other languages?

Borrowing Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a morph that has a unique set of grammatical or lexical features?

Allomorph Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a language variety that is influenced by the cultural or ethnic background of a group of speakers?

Ethnolect Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the parts of the brain that connect Wernicke's Area and Broca's Area?

Arcuate Fasciculus Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the unique way in which a person uses language?

Idiolect Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a simplified, make-shift language that develops as a means of communication between speakers of different native languages?

Pidgin Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the experience of feeling confident that one knows an answer yet is unable to produce the word?

Tip of the Tongue Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for an unconscious error or oversight in writing, speech, or action that is held to be caused by unacceptable impulses breaking through the ego's defenses?

Slips of the Tongue Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the parts of the brain that are involved in understanding of speech?

Wernicke's Area Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a language that emerges from a pidgin when it becomes more stable, complex, and is passed down from generation to generation?

Creole Signup and view all the answers

What is the study of how language serves and is shaped by the social nature of human beings?

Sociolinguistics Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the level of formality in language that is determined by the context in which it is spoken or written?

Register Signup and view all the answers

What is the study of the grammar, classification, and arrangement of features of a language at a given time?

Descriptive Linguistics Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the dynamic and adaptive process by which individuals adjust their language and communication styles based on various social factors?

Speech Accommodation Signup and view all the answers

What is the study of how languages change over time?

Historical Linguistics Signup and view all the answers

What is the area of anthropological linguistics that studies the relationship between a language and the nonlinguistic cultural behavior of the people who speak that language?

Ethnolinguistic Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe a type of register where the language is a standard form of communication?

Consultative Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe a type of register where the words/script are never changed or cannot be altered?

Frozen Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Language Theories

Divine Origin Theory: language is a gift from God or another supernatural being
Onomatopoeia Theory: language begins with people imitating the sounds of nature
Social Interaction Theory: language developed as a way for people to coordinate their activities and cooperate with each other
Gestural Theory: language began with people using gestures

Language Concepts

Reflexivity: language can refer to itself
Prevarication: language can be used to make false statements or talk about imaginary situations

Linguistics Branches

Natural Science: studies how we produce sounds and the evolution of language
Formal Science: conducts research on how people use specific words or grammatical features and how they change
Social Science: studies the history of languages and how we learned them

Word Types

Noun: represents things, places, people, animals, events, and so on
Verb: represents the action or state being in a sentence
Adjective: modifies or describes the noun
Adverb: describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb
Pronoun: used as a substitute for a noun in a sentence
Preposition: shows position

Morphology

Morpheme: the smallest unit of language that carries meaning
Bound Morpheme: cannot normally stand alone and is typically attached to another form
Functional Morpheme: consists largely of words like conjunctions, prepositions, articles, and pronouns
Allomorph: a morph that has a unique set of different morphs, all versions of one morpheme

Language Processes

Coinage: the invention of totally new terms
Borrowing: taking over of words from other languages
Prestige: the social status assigned to a specific language, dialect, or linguistic feature within a community

Language Studies

Descriptive Linguistics: studies the grammar, classification, and arrangement of features of a language at a given time
Historical Linguistics: studies how languages change over time

Language Registers

Formal: one-way communication
Consultative: standard form of communication
Frozen: the words/script are never changed or cannot be altered
Informal: conversational language

Brain Regions

Wernicke's Area: involved in understanding speech
Motor Cortex: controls the movements of muscles
Arcuate Fasciculus: connects Wernicke's Area and Broca's Area

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Description

Review language theories, including the Divine Origin Theory and Onomatopoeia Theory, and how humans use language to make false statements or create fictional narratives.