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Midterm Flashcards

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1
Q
A
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2
Q

What is language?

A

A system of communication (written, signed, or spoken) used by a specific community to convey meaning.

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3
Q

What term is used to refer to individuals who use language?

A

Language users.

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4
Q

Why are signed languages significant in language discussions?

A

They are crucial in the discussion of language rights, especially for the deaf and hard of hearing.

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5
Q

How is language related to identity and community?

A

Language is a profoundly important part of identity and community, often involved in conflicts and debates.

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6
Q

What aspects are influenced by or related to language?

A
  • Thought
  • Writing
  • Speech
  • Comprehension
  • Performance
  • Culture
  • Identity
  • Community
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7
Q

What is the process involved in understanding spoken language?

A

It involves accurate production by speakers/writers and perception by listeners/readers.

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8
Q

Where is language found in the brain?

A

In specific parts that are electrical or neurochemical.

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9
Q

What are some philosophical theories about the existence of language?

A
  • Single origin
  • Abstraction
  • Divine inspiration
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10
Q

True or False: Writing is more perfect than speech.

A

False.

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11
Q

What are some misconceptions about language?

A
  • There are unwritten languages
  • Some languages are primitive
  • All languages can express the same concepts
  • Some languages are harder than others
  • Animals have language
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12
Q

Why is it important to understand how language works?

A

It helps dispel myths about language, race, gender, and intelligence and facilitates better communication.

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13
Q

What is linguistics?

A

The study of language, how it is structured, developed, and changed.

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14
Q

What are the main components of language?

A
  • Sounds
  • Words
  • Phrases
  • Sentences
  • Discourse
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15
Q

What systems operate language?

A
  • Biological
  • Psychological/Neurological
  • Social
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16
Q

What historical perspective was used in the study of language?

A

Scholars traced changes in language by comparing older texts with modern forms.

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17
Q

What is the difference between competence and performance in linguistics?

A
  • Competence: Abstract knowledge/rules about language
  • Performance: Actual speech produced
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18
Q

What subfields are included in the study of linguistics?

A
  • Syntax
  • Morphology
  • Phonology
  • Phonetics
  • Discourse Analysis
  • Computational Linguistics
  • Second Language Acquisition
  • Computer-Mediated Communication
  • Corpus Linguistics
  • Historical Linguistics
  • TESOL
  • Speech Pathology
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Semantics
  • Pragmatics
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19
Q

True or False: Linguists need to speak many languages to study language.

A

False.

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20
Q

What is the focus of linguists in their study?

A

They study parts and systems that control how language in general works.

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21
Q

Fill in the blank: Language is a _______ part of identity and community.

A

profoundly important

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22
Q

What are the benefits of understanding language?

A
  • Better arguments
  • Facilitate communication
  • Learn new languages
  • Understand speech disorders
  • Understand identities
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23
Q

What is a Language?

A

A system of communication that varies across different cultures and regions.

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24
Q

Why are languages so different?

A

Due to the arbitrariness of word-meaning connections and the rules that govern language structure.

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25
What do all languages have in common?
They share underlying similarities known as language universals.
26
What are the two most important characteristics of human language?
Arbitrary and rule governed.
27
Define arbitrariness in the context of language.
There is no one-to-one connection between a word's form (signifier) and its meaning (signified).
28
Who popularized the concept of arbitrariness in language?
Ferdinand de Saussure.
29
What is a sign in linguistics?
The link between a signifier (sound) and a signified (meaning).
30
What is the mental dictionary of words and their meanings called?
Lexicon.
31
What does rule governed mean in human language?
Languages operate under a system of rules about how linguistic elements combine to create meaning.
32
What are phonetics?
The study of sounds described objectively.
33
What is phonology?
The study of how sounds are used meaningfully in a language.
34
What is morphology?
The study of how words are formed from parts, such as suffixes.
35
What is syntax?
The rules that govern sentence structure in a particular language.
36
What is semantics?
The meaning of language without context.
37
What is pragmatics?
The meaning of language in context.
38
What are language universals?
Underlying similarities across languages that indicate general laws of language.
39
Who proposed the Theory of 'Universal Grammar'?
Noam Chomsky.
40
What does it mean for a language to die?
When it no longer has any speakers.
41
What is the distinction between a language and a dialect?
Languages are often not mutually intelligible, while dialects are.
42
What are accents?
Distinct patterns of pronunciation that identify groups of speakers.
43
Fill in the blank: All languages have ______ and ______.
subjects and verbs.
44
True or False: No dialect is linguistically superior to another.
True.
45
What is a dialect continuum?
A range of dialects spoken across a geographical area that can lead to mutual intelligibility.
46
What does linguistic competence refer to?
A speaker's implicit knowledge of their language.
47
What does linguistic performance refer to?
A speaker's actual use of language in concrete situations.
48
What is the significance of language variation?
It results from arbitrariness and rules governing language.
49
What are case markers?
Elements that indicate the grammatical role of a word in a sentence.
50
Fill in the blank: The number of languages is constantly ______.
evolving.
51
What does the term 'linguistic tendencies' refer to?
Common patterns observed across different languages.
52
How do we define a nation?
A cultural and social community identifying a population with a shared identity based on culture, ethnicity, history, religion, language, or other characteristics. ## Footnote (Davies & Dubinsky, 2018)
53
What is a state?
A political entity with a government that has sovereignty over a geographic area representing a population.
54
Can a nation constitute a state?
No, a nation does not necessarily constitute a state, and a state is not always a nation.
55
What is a nation-state?
A sovereign territory deriving political legitimacy from the fact that the majority of inhabitants share a feeling of a common nationality.
56
What is a national language?
A language associated with a nation, linked to a group of people who have a particular, shared culture and/or ethnicity.
57
What is a state language?
A language used to conduct the business of administering a state.
58
What is an official language?
A language declared in the constitution of a state or mandated by law used to conduct the business of a state.
59
When does a national language become a de facto state language?
When it becomes the language of administration.
60
What is the distinction between a de facto state language and an official language?
A de facto state language is used in practice, while an official language is mandated by law.
61
What are examples of multiple official languages in a country?
In South Africa: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Swati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Xhosa, and Zulu.
62
Define lingua franca.
A language systematically used for communication between groups of people who do not share a native language or dialect.
63
What is a common reason for language contact that leads to a lingua franca?
The language of trade or a dominant political/economic power.
64
What role does language play beyond utilitarian communication?
It transmits culture, philosophical ideas, art, literature, etc.
65
True or False: Linguistic asymmetry is a new phenomenon.
False.
66
What historical sentiment contributed to English-only policies in the U.S.?
American expansionism and competition for land and power.
67
What happened to the German language instruction in the U.S. in 1917?
It was discontinued in public schools, parochial schools, and German family names were changed.
68
Who issued the 'Babel Proclamation' and what did it entail?
William Lloyd Harding issued it, banning all foreign languages due to concerns over propaganda.
69
What was the impact of WWI on perceptions of multilingualism in the U.S.?
Multilingualism was viewed as a lack of patriotism and inferiority.
70
What is the significance of the Bilingual Education Act of 1967?
It provided federal funds to establish English Language Learner (ELL) programs.
71
Fill in the blank: English was designated as the official language of the United States in an ________ on March 1, 2025.
[executive order]
72
What does the term 'language policies' refer to?
Any formal/informal declaration about how language should be used.
73
What are some approaches nations and states take regarding language policies?
* Declare an official language or languages * Declare a national language or languages * Declare a language/languages to be both official and national * Declare different languages as official and national languages
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