What is language?
Language is the comprehension and/or use of a spoken, written, other communication symbol system.
Language is a code whereby ideas about the world are expressed through a conventional system of arbitrary signals for communication.
Language is used to communicate
According to Lahey, language expresses ideas. How?
Language is a code. What is a code?
There are two things happening in relation to language as a code. It is encoding and decoding. What is encoding?
This is the act of recalling and combining the unit of the code to represent information in a message.
Ex. Arranging words in a sentence to communicate
What is decoding?
The act of recognising and segmenting the unit of a code to extract information from a message
The code is a _________ (following specific rules at word and sentence level)
The code is a system, because language is systematic. It follows specific rules at word and sentence level.
The code is a _________ (shared knowledge)
Convention. The speakers in a language community agree on such matters.
Social reasons > logical/empirical. So language is shared knowledge.
What are the components of language?
Content, form, use
What is language content? Compared to topics it is?
Example: Mommy’s coat. What is the content?
Possession
Example: Eating ramen
Action
Topic: Red ball
Attribution
What are the primary categories of content?
Object knowledge, relationship between objects, relationship between events
What is object knowledge? What are its 2 subdivisions?
What subdivisions and their content categories are under object relations?
What content categories are under event relations? What is event relations?
What is the language form?
The shape or sound of the units, and combination in a message
What are the three broad categories under language form?
Phonology, morphology, syntax
What is phonology?
The shape or sound of the units and combination in a message
What are the two main areas under phonology?
Segmental features
Suprasegmental features
What is a segmental feature?
Phonemes, syllable (e.g., /p/ - phoneme, /ba/ - syllable)
What are suprasegmental features?
Intonation, stress, pause
What is morphology? What are morphemes?