This document provides an overview of what language is from a linguistic perspective. It discusses that language is a uniquely human ability that allows for the production and understanding of strings of sounds to convey meaning. It notes that children acquire language proficiency around age 5 without explicit knowledge of the underlying rules. The document also describes linguistic knowledge regarding sound systems, words, creativity and grammar. It discusses the difference between descriptive and prescriptive grammars, as well as theories of universal grammar and language development. It considers what distinguishes human language from animal communication systems.

1. What Is Language?
Lecture 1
Ching-Fen Hsu
2013/9/13

2. Linguistic Knowledge
• Language: human essence; distinctive qualities
of mind; unique to man; separate human from
animals; human life and power
• Lg ability means to produce strings of sounds
(signify meanings) & understand or interpret(signify meanings) & understand or interpret
others’ sounds
• 5yrs proficient at speaking & understanding;
can produce relative clauses without knowing
that it is
• Language ability is innate as walking ability
without knowing principles of balance

3. Knowledge of Sound
System
• Knowing possible or impossible sounds in the
system
• Different lgs have their sound systems, e.g., /th/
in English does not exist in French (/z/ instead)in English does not exist in French (/z/ instead)
• Second lg learners substitute sounds from other
lgs
• Phonotactics: principles of rule combinations in
a lg, e.g., /nk/ is impossible word initial in
English
• Children develop sound patterns of lg rapidly

4. Knowledge of Words
• Knowing which sequences of sounds relate to
specific meanings & which do not
• Arbitrary relation of form & meaning: words
signify concepts, e.g., ‘house’ for
• Form (sounds) vs. meaning (concept) are by• Form (sounds) vs. meaning (concept) are by
convention; true in spoken & sign lgs
• Sound symbolism: pronunciation of words =
meaning, e.g., onomatopoeic (buzz, murmur):
imitation of sounds associated with objects or
actions (cock-a-doodle-doo for English crow;
how about Chinese?)

5. Creativity of Linguistic
Knowledge
• Number of sentences in a lg is infinite
• Knowing a lg means being able to create,
produce, & understand new sentences
• Creativity: universal property of human lg• Creativity: universal property of human lg
• Knowledge of S & non-S
• Understand infinite number of well-formed S
• Distinguish grammatical & ungrammatical S
• S = organization of words + rules of S formation
• Rules (=grammar) are finite & S are infinite

6. Linguistic Knowledge & Performance
• Difference bet producing & understanding S
(competence) & applying knowledge
(performance)
• Grammar: knowledge that speakers have about
units & lg rules
• Lg rules: combining sounds into words
(phonology), word formation (morphology),
coming phrases into S (syntax), assigning
meanings (semantics)
• Competence: grammar + lexicon (mental
dictionary)
• Understand nature of lg = nature of grammar

7. Descriptive Grammar
• Linguist’s description of grammar or lg itself
• A model of speakers’ linguistic capacity
• Describe basic linguistic knowledge, but not
how you should speak
• Grammatical S: rules of mental grammar
• Ungrammatical S: deviation from rules
• No lg or lg variety (dialect) is superior or
inferior to any others in linguistic sense
• Every lg is equally complex, logical, capable of
producing infinite S to express thoughts

8. Prescriptive Grammars
• Some claim certain correct forms should use in
speaking & writing
• 1762 Bishop Robert Lowth on A Short Introduction
to English Grammar with Critical Notes
e.g., I don’t have none == I don’t have anye.g., I don’t have none == I don’t have any
You was wrong about that == You were...
• double negatives are inferior
• Prescriptive grammar: describe rules they should
follow
• All lg & dialects are rule-governed
• Standard usage is used for social prestige

9. Universal Grammar
• Universal rules give us a window into human
faculty of lg
• General rules: features common to all lgs vs.
special grammar, e.g., universal categories of
nouns & verbs
• UG: blueprint for all lgs to follow for lg learning;
part of children’s innate capacity; laws of human
lg
• Specifies different components of grammar &
relations, how different rules construct, how rules
interact
• Linguistic theory discovers nature of UG

10. Development of Grammar
• How lg is acquired
• None of social factors influences lg development;
children acquire any lg exposed to with ease
• Babbling => words => simple S => complex S
• Children who cannot count 5 master lg
• Children only learn particular lg, not all rules• Children only learn particular lg, not all rules
• Sign lg provide evidence to support UG
• Sign = visual-gestural system, own grammatical
rules, mental lexicon (equivalent to spoken lg)
• Slips of the hand = slips of the tongue
• Deaf children babble with hands; independent of
modality, lg acquisition relies on cognitive capacity

11. What Is Not (Human
Language)?
• Human beings are designed for human lg
• Animal has communication system, e.g.,
creative spider? Fiddler crabs to wave claws
• Human lg is discrete (source of creativity) and
composed of units based on grammar rules
• Individual parts can be arranged & rearranged
to form infinite number of expressions
• Bird calls (simple & short notes) & birdsongs
(complex & long notes) do not have internal
structure, only relate immediate E & needs

12. Human Language
Characteristics
• Displacement: capacity to talk messages
related or unrelated to here & now
• Displacement & discreteness: two
fundamental properties to distinguish humanfundamental properties to distinguish human
lg from communication systems of animals
• Birdsongs are acquired in several stages as
children acquire lg
• Critical periods for birdsongs & human lg
• Lg acquisition involves learned & innate
structure; variation can develop (e.g., dialects)

13. Can Animals Learn
Human Language?
• Parrots & mynahs can be taught to reproduce
• Have no ability to produce unlimited utterances
• Imitation has no communicative function
• Knowing how to produce sound sequence ≠
knowing a lgknowing a lg
• German border collie picked toys & US Chaser
understand 1022 toys!
• Dogs associate sound sequence with objects or
actions
• Animals give signals associated with immediate E
& emotional state
• How about chimpanzees?

14. Language and Thought
• Lg structure influences how speakers perceive the
world
• Linguistic determinism: Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
(strong version)
• Spoken lg determines how we perceive & think• Spoken lg determines how we perceive & think
about the world; lg acts like a filter on reality
• Linguistic relativism: weak version SWH
• Different lgs encode diff categories & speakers
think the world in diff ways; e.g., Novaho: blue +
green = one word; Russian: light blue vs. dark blue
= diff words; native English Zuni: yellow + orange
= same word

15. Rethinking Sapir-Whorf
Hypothesis
• Strong version is false; peoples’ thoughts &
perceptions are not determined by words &
structures of lgs, e.g., tenses in Chinese & card-
sorting exp on colors (color perception is
determined by human eye but not lg structure)determined by human eye but not lg structure)
• Humans are not prisoners of linguistic systems
• Translation bet lgs is possible; second lg learning
is possible
• World experience creates words (Eskimo’s snow);
lg does influence thought
• Crippled => handicapped =>disabled (euphemism)
=> challenged

16. Question?Question?