Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is pragmatics primarily concerned with?
What is pragmatics primarily concerned with?
- The structure of sentences
- The rules of phonology
- The study of language use in context (correct)
- The literal meaning of words
What does the term 'idiolect' refer to?
What does the term 'idiolect' refer to?
- The study of phonology
- An individual's unique system of language (correct)
- A specific grammatical structure
- The shared dialect of a community
Which of the following best describes 'performance' in linguistics?
Which of the following best describes 'performance' in linguistics?
- The study of syntax and morphology
- The theoretical analysis of linguistic structures
- The flawless knowledge of language rules
- The actual use of language, including errors (correct)
What are garden-path sentences known for?
What are garden-path sentences known for?
What is the distinction between competence and performance in linguistics?
What is the distinction between competence and performance in linguistics?
What is the primary focus of prosody in linguistics?
What is the primary focus of prosody in linguistics?
Which aspect of linguistics is NOT typically included in the study?
Which aspect of linguistics is NOT typically included in the study?
Which field is concerned with the meanings associated with individual words and morphemes?
Which field is concerned with the meanings associated with individual words and morphemes?
What does pragmatics primarily study?
What does pragmatics primarily study?
How does pragmatics differ from semantics?
How does pragmatics differ from semantics?
How does discourse analysis differ from pragmatics?
How does discourse analysis differ from pragmatics?
What might interfere with someone's performance in language?
What might interfere with someone's performance in language?
What is the main methodological approach of pragmatics?
What is the main methodological approach of pragmatics?
What does sentential semantics focus on?
What does sentential semantics focus on?
Which statement best describes the relationship between pragmatics and discourse analysis?
Which statement best describes the relationship between pragmatics and discourse analysis?
What question does discourse analysis primarily seek to answer?
What question does discourse analysis primarily seek to answer?
What does the term 'sow' refer to in the given context?
What does the term 'sow' refer to in the given context?
Which of the following has a positive indication for female in the category of human?
Which of the following has a positive indication for female in the category of human?
According to the discussion, which food item led to a legal dispute regarding its classification?
According to the discussion, which food item led to a legal dispute regarding its classification?
What is one proposed alternative to componential semantics mentioned in the content?
What is one proposed alternative to componential semantics mentioned in the content?
Which of the following is a factor in determining whether an item is classified as a sandwich?
Which of the following is a factor in determining whether an item is classified as a sandwich?
In the componential semantics framework, how is the meaning of a lexical item evaluated?
In the componential semantics framework, how is the meaning of a lexical item evaluated?
Which animal appears to require an additional feature in the context discussed?
Which animal appears to require an additional feature in the context discussed?
What was the basis of Panera Bread's legal argument regarding burritos?
What was the basis of Panera Bread's legal argument regarding burritos?
What does the observer's paradox refer to?
What does the observer's paradox refer to?
What is a key method used to determine how people identify words?
What is a key method used to determine how people identify words?
What does eye-tracking apparatus measure?
What does eye-tracking apparatus measure?
How can elicitation improve upon intuitions in language research?
How can elicitation improve upon intuitions in language research?
What is the primary purpose of using naturally occurring data in linguistic studies?
What is the primary purpose of using naturally occurring data in linguistic studies?
In William Labov's dialect study, what was he primarily trying to elicit from store workers?
In William Labov's dialect study, what was he primarily trying to elicit from store workers?
What limitation does natural observation in language research have?
What limitation does natural observation in language research have?
What might affect people's accuracy in reporting their speech patterns?
What might affect people's accuracy in reporting their speech patterns?
What do linguists observe about speakers regarding the splitting of infinitives?
What do linguists observe about speakers regarding the splitting of infinitives?
How are the maxims of the Cooperative Principle best described?
How are the maxims of the Cooperative Principle best described?
What is the primary limitation of using native-speaker intuition in research?
What is the primary limitation of using native-speaker intuition in research?
What method can improve the reliability of data collected from native speakers?
What method can improve the reliability of data collected from native speakers?
Which of the following is NOT a method traditionally used by linguists to study language use?
Which of the following is NOT a method traditionally used by linguists to study language use?
In the context of linguistic research, what is meant by 'naturally occurring data'?
In the context of linguistic research, what is meant by 'naturally occurring data'?
Why might informants report their speech as more correct than it actually is?
Why might informants report their speech as more correct than it actually is?
What is one important function of a researcher’s personal intuition during the initial research stage?
What is one important function of a researcher’s personal intuition during the initial research stage?
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Study Notes
Linguistics and Pragmatics
- Linguistics is the study of language, focusing on sound systems, word structure, and sentence structure.
- The distinction between linguistic competence and performance is important. Competence refers to the internalized knowledge of language rules, while performance is the actual linguistic behavior, including errors.
- Pragmatics is the study of language use in context, while semantics focuses on literal meaning independent of context.
- Pragmatics is closely related to discourse analysis, a field studying strings of sentences in connected discourse. Both study language use in context but differ in focus. Pragmatics aims for generalizations about linguistic competence, while discourse analysis focuses on specific discourse instances.
Studying Pragmatics
- The study of pragmatics is descriptive, focusing on how language is actually used rather than prescribing "correct" usage.
- Common methods for studying pragmatics include:
- Native-speaker intuitions:
- Introspection: Observing one's own intuitions
- Informants: Gathering intuitions from others through questionnaires or interviews
- Psycholinguistic experimentation: Utilizing controlled experiments like lexical decision tasks or eye-tracking to assess linguistic behavior
- Naturally occurring data:
- Elicitation: Creating situations to elicit desired language forms
- Natural observation: Observing language use in natural settings
- Corpus data: Analyzing large collections of real-world texts
- Native-speaker intuitions:
The Observer's Paradox
- The Observer's Paradox acknowledges the potential influence of the observer on the behavior of those being observed. Individuals may adjust their speech to appear more "correct" or conform to perceived expectations.
- The paradox presents a challenge for studying language naturally, as the presence of a researcher can create an artificial environment.
Componential Semantics
- Componential Semantics aims to represent meaning by breaking down words into sets of semantic features. Each feature contributes to the overall meaning of the word.
- The approach involves analyzing the features that distinguish different words within a class. For example, analyzing features like "[+male]" and "[+adult]" in the words "man" and "woman."
- A challenge with componential semantics arises when determining the appropriate set of features for certain words, leading to a debate and sometimes inconsistencies in analysis, as in the case of "burrito" being debated as a "sandwich."
- Fuzzy sets offer an alternative approach to handling such complexities.
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