IMT 107 Lexicology Lecture Notes PDF

İMT 107 Lexicology Sezen ERGİN ZENGİN 1 Introduction to Lexicology Lexicology as a branch of science and relations with other branches 2  What is lexicol...

İMT 107 Lexicology Sezen ERGİN ZENGİN 1 Introduction to Lexicology Lexicology as a branch of science and relations with other branches 2  What is lexicology? Study of the lexicon or lexis Just a list of lexical items? A sub-branch of linguistics [From Greek] Lexis + Logos Two main approaches: Synchronic Diachronic 3  Study Fields Semantics Lexical semantics Morphology Word formation Etymology Word origins Syntax Word order Pragmatics Word use Sociolinguistics 4  Origins of Language The divine source The natural sound source The social interaction source The physical adaptation source The tool making source The genetic source 5 The Divine Source Genesis (11:9) «Because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth» attempts to rediscover the original language The experiment of Psammetichus 6 The Natural Sound Source Primitive words could have been imitations of the natural sounds splash, bang, boom, screech, hiss «bow-wow theory» onomatopoeia 7  The Social Interaction Source Sounds of a person involved in physical effort could be the source of language, especially when that physical effort involved several people Social context 8  The Physical Adaptation Source Evolution of physical features due to bipedal locomotion Teeth, lips, mouth, tongue, pharynx, larynx, 9 10 11  The Tool-making Source Manual gestures may have been a precursor of language Functions that control the motor movements involved in complex vocalization and object manipulation are very close to each other in the left hemisphere of the brain 12 The Genetic Source Human offsprings are born with a special capacity for language FOXP2 Gene (among many others) 13  Properties of Human Language Informative signals are those which are not intentionally sent, but they convey some information about yourself. E.g. Sneezing communicates that you are having flu. Communicative signals are those which are intended to give information. Communicative signals are usually based on language, they have a purpose behind them.  Properties of Human Language 1. Arbitrariness 2. Displacement 3. Productivity 4. Cultural Transmission 5. Duality 6. Reflexivity  Arbitrariness There is no direct relationship between the meaning of a word and either the way it sounds (when it is spoken) or the way it looks (when it is written). Onomatopoeic words? 17 18  Phonestemes A particular sound or sound sequence that suggests a certain meaning. Glimmer, glitter, glisten – vision or light Mumble, murmur, mutter, muted, grumble – to talk indistinctly Flap, flee, flicker, flutter – movement Snore, sniff, snoot, snuffle – dealing with the nose Kiki/Bouba  Displacement Humans can talk about past events, distant places and things that are not present. This property is called displacement. When a cat says meow, it does not mean she referred to a past event. Animal communication seems mostly to be designed exclusively for this moment, here and now. It cannot effectively be used to relate events that are far removed in time and place.  Productivity Humans can create unlimited number of novel utterances by using existing tool set or units (e.g. words). This property is called creativity, open- endedness or productivity of human language. The communication systems of other animals mostly do not appear to have this type of flexibility. Cicadas have four signals and Vervet monkeys have thirty-six vocal calls. But they cannot manipulate these signals to create ‘new messages’. Honey bees cannot convey a location which is ‘up’ their bee hive. Their signals are only limited to horizontal distances and directions.  Cultural Transmission We acquire a language in a culture with other speakers and not from parental genes. An infant born to Korean parents in Korea, but adopted and brought up from birth by English speakers in the United States, will have physical characteristics inherited from his or her natural parents, but will inevitably speak English. A kitten, given comparable early experiences, will produce meow regardless. This process whereby a language is passed on from one generation to the next is described as cultural transmission  Duality Human language is organized at two levels or layers simultaneously. This property is called duality (or ‘double articulation’). E.g. n, i, b >>>> bin At one level these are just letters, at other level they create different meanings combined in different ways. Dog says woof when he is happy, means I am so happy. But dogs’ signal woof cannot be broken down to its sub part w, oo, f. Neither dogs can create a new signal using same constituents as woof has.  Reflexivity Being able to reflect on language and its uses “I wish he wouldn’t use so many technical terms” 24  ANIMAL COMMUNICATION What do we know about animal communication? Be cautious of anthropocentrism