Introduction to Language Week 1 PDF

Introduction to Language Week 1 Sunday, September 17, 17  What is language? the method of human communication, either spoken or wr...

Introduction to Language Week 1 Sunday, September 17, 17  What is language? the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. the system of communication used by a particular community or country. Sunday, September 17, 17  The origins of language We don’t know how language originated due to lack of physical evidence Spoken languages developed between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago Written languages developed 5,000 ago Speculations about language origin Sunday, September 17, 17  The divine source Common feature in all religions --> a divine source who/which provides humans with language If humans have grown up without any linguistic input, they begin using the original God-given language Biblical tradition: Adam Islamic tradition: Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) Hindu tradition: Saraswati Ancient Greek tradition: Psammetichus (Phrygian) Scottish tradition: King James the 4th of Scotland: babies (Hebrew) Sunday, September 17, 17  The natural sound source Origins of language in natural sounds (imitation --> production of words) ‘bow-wow theory’ --> words that sound similar to the noises they describe (onomatopoeia) PROBLEMS: 1) Doesn’t explain abstract words 2) Some interjections are produced with intakes of breath, but spoken language is produced on exhaled breath. Sunday, September 17, 17  Social interaction source ‘yep-he-ho’ theory --> 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. Puts emphasis on the social aspect of communication, but doesn’t explain the inability of apes or other mammals to use language. Sunday, September 17, 17  Physical adaptation source Upright posture has facilitated the function of our articulators: Teeth (upright, not slanting) Lips (intricate muscle interlacing) Mouth (small – rapid movement) Pharynx (resonator for increased range and clarity) Larynx (voice box containing the vocal cords – production of voice) Sunday, September 17, 17  Tool making source 2,000,000 years ago --> preference for right-handedness, tool-making Development of human brain (large relatively to human body size – lateralization) Left hemisphere for language and object manipulation Sunday, September 17, 17  Genetic source Every child (even deaf ones) becomes fluent language user --> born with an innate capacity for language learning Analogies with how computers work: pre- programmed, hard-wired Language gene innate only in human beings Sunday, September 17, 17