Linguistic Theories Overview

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Questions and Answers

What does Cognitivist Theory focus on?

Mental processes involved in language learning.

Who proposed the Nativist Linguistics theory?

Noam Chomsky

What is the definition of Behaviorist theory in language learning?

Language learning as a behavior acquired through imitation, reinforcement, and conditioning.

What is the Affective Filter hypothesis?

Emotional factors influence the success of language learning. Signup and view all the answers

What does the term Acculturation refer to?

The process of adapting to a new culture. Signup and view all the answers

Which theory is associated with Descartes and emphasizes the mind's role in language?

Cartesian Linguistics. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Tabula Rasa theory propose about the human mind?

The human mind is a blank slate at birth. Signup and view all the answers

What are Speech Acts: Maxims based on?

Grice's Cooperative Principle. Signup and view all the answers

What does Politeness Theory explain?

How people manage face in communication. Signup and view all the answers

What is Conversational Implicature?

Speakers can mean more than what is explicitly stated. Signup and view all the answers

Who proposed the Cooperative Principle?

H.P. Grice. Signup and view all the answers

What does Semiotics study?

Signs and symbols in language. Signup and view all the answers

What is Cognitive Grammar?

A model that sees linguistic knowledge as part of general cognition. Signup and view all the answers

What do Translation Studies examine?

The process of translating between languages. Signup and view all the answers

What does Discourse Analysis study?

How language is used in texts and contexts. Signup and view all the answers

What is Functional Grammar focused on?

How grammar is shaped by communicative needs. Signup and view all the answers

What does Word Grammar Theory propose?

Words as the basic units of syntax. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of Language Policy and Planning?

To influence or regulate the use of languages within a community. Signup and view all the answers

What does Word Formation Theory study?

The ways in which new words are created in a language. Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of Typology in language classification?

Languages according to their structural features. Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between Inflection and Derivation?

Inflection modifies a word for grammatical purposes; derivation creates new words. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Cognitivist Theory

Emphasizes the role of the brain in understanding, storing, and producing language.
Key proponents: Jean Piaget and Jerome Bruner.

Nativist Linguistics

Proposes that humans are born with an innate ability to learn language through a universal grammar.
Key proponent: Noam Chomsky.

Behaviorist (Skinner)

Views language learning as a behavior acquired through imitation, reinforcement, and conditioning.
Key proponent: B.F. Skinner.

Affective Filter

A hypothesis in second language acquisition that states that emotional factors such as anxiety and motivation influence the success of language learning.
Key proponent: Stephen Krashen.

Acculturation

Refers to adapting to a new culture, including acquiring the language and social practices of the new cultural environment.
Key proponent: John Schumann.

Cartesian Linguistics

Emphasizes the mind's role in language, viewing language as an expression of innate, logical thought processes.
Key proponent: Noam Chomsky.

Tabula Rasa (Locke)

Argues that the human mind is a "blank slate" at birth, with knowledge and language acquired through experience and sensory perception.
Key proponent: John Locke.

Speech Acts: Maxims

Based on Grice's Cooperative Principle, maxims guide effective communication, focusing on quality, quantity, relevance, and manner.
Key proponent: H.P. Grice.

Speech Acts: Politeness Theory

Explains how people manage face (public self-image) in communication to avoid threats to others' dignity.
Key proponents: Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson.

Conversational Implicature

Implies that speakers can mean more than what is explicitly stated, relying on shared knowledge and context to convey meaning indirectly.
Key proponent: H.P. Grice.

Cooperative Principle

Suggests that effective communication relies on speakers cooperating by following conversational maxims.
Key proponent: H.P. Grice.

Semiotics (de Saussure)

The study of signs and symbols in language, where meaning is derived from the relationships between the signifier (form) and signified (concept).
Key proponent: Ferdinand de Saussure.

Cognitive Grammar

A usage-based model that sees linguistic knowledge as part of general cognition, emphasizing meaning and conceptualization in grammar.
Key proponent: Ronald Langacker.

Translation Studies

Examines the process of translating between languages, focusing on accuracy, equivalence, and cultural context.
Key proponents: Eugene Nida, Lawrence Venuti.

Discourse Analysis

Studies how language is used in texts and contexts, focusing on patterns of communication in different social and cultural settings.
Key proponents: Michael Bakhtin, Erving Goffman.

Functional Grammar

Views grammar as shaped by communicative needs, with a focus on how language is used to express meaning in context.
Key proponent: M.A.K. Halliday.

Word Grammar Theory

A dependency-based theory that posits words as the basic units of syntax, with grammatical structure emerging from word relationships.
Key proponent: Richard Hudson.

Language Policy and Planning

Refers to the efforts by authorities to influence or regulate the use of languages within a community, often for sociopolitical goals.
Key proponents: Joshua Fishman, Bernard Spolsky.

Word Formation Theory

Studies the ways in which new words are created in a language, such as through compounding, affixation, or blending.
Key proponents: Eric S. Renner, Martin Haspelmath.

Typology

Classifies languages according to their structural features, such as syntax, morphology, and phonology, identifying universal patterns.
Key proponent: Bernard Comrie.

Inflection and Derivation

Inflection refers to modifying a word for grammatical purposes (e.g., tense), while derivation creates new words by adding affixes.
Key proponents: Noam Chomsky (for inflection); other linguists like David Beck and Paul Kiparsky contribute to derivation.

Syntagmatic Relations

The relationship between words or elements in a sentence, considered in terms of their linear sequence and grammatical function.

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Description

This quiz explores key theories of language acquisition, including Cognitivist, Nativist, and Behaviorist perspectives. It also examines the role of emotional factors and cultural adaptation in language learning. Test your understanding of these foundational concepts and their prominent proponents.