Basic concepts in Linguistics

1. BASIC CONCEPTS IN
LINGUISTICS
MR. LAL
BAKHSH

2. AGENDA
History
Langue Vs Parole
Competence Vs Performance
Types of various signs
Signifier Vs Signified
Syntagmatic Vs Paradigmatic Relationship
Substance and Form
Question-answer sessions
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3. HISTORY

4. HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
Modern linguistics is based on some fundamental concepts
which were expounded by linguists in the beginning of the
twentieth century. The most influential of these were::
(i) The representatives of the American School of structural
anthropologists, chiefly Leonard Bloomfield; and after World
War II, the work of Noam Chomsky.
(ii) The European linguists, chiefly among them the Swiss
linguist Ferdinand de Saussure.
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5. CONTINUE….
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The main ideas regarding language propounded by these
linguists take the form of certain distinctions or dichotomies by
means of which we have been able to understand the nature of
language in a more systematic and complete way Some of the
basic distinctions, dichotomies and concepts are discussed
now:

6. UNDERSTANDING
LANGUE & PAROLE
Ferdinand de Saussure
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7. DEFINITIONS OF LANGUE & PAROLE
Langue
(i) Langue is social, a set of conventions
shared by all the speakers of a language.
(ii) Langue is abstract, as these
conventions exist in the minds of the
speakers who belong to that society that
has created the language.
Parole
(i) Individual performance of language in
speech or writing.
(ii) Concrete and physical. It makes use of
the physiological mechanism such as
speech organs, in uttering words and
sentences.
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8. COMPETENCE & PERFORMANCE
NOAM CHOMSKY
Competence
Competence: This refers to
an individual's underlying
knowledge of a language's
rules and structures. It
encompasses what a person
knows about their language,
including grammar,
vocabulary, and syntax, often
at an unconscious level.
Competence is concerned
with the idealized speaker-
hearer's knowledge of a
Performance
Performance, on the other hand,
pertains to the actual use or
application of linguistic knowledge in
real-time communication. It involves
the practical application of linguistic
competence in speaking,
understanding, reading, or writing.
Performance can be influenced by
various factors such as memory
limitations, distractions, or
processing constraints.
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9. SIGNIFIER VS SIGNIFIED
1. Signifier: This refers to the physical form of a sign, which could be a
word, sound, image, gesture, or any other perceptible element. The
signifier is the material or tangible aspect that we perceive with our
senses. For example, the word "tree" in written or spoken form, or the
image of a tree, serves as a signifier.
2. Signified: This is the conceptual or mental representation associated
with a particular signifier. It is the meaning or idea conveyed by the
signifier. The signified is the mental image, concept, or understanding
that arises in the mind of the interpreter when encountering the
signifier. Using the previous example, the concept of a tree – the
mental image or idea of a tall plant with a trunk and branches – is the
signified associated with the signifier "tree."
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10. CONTINUE…
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11. SIGN VS SYMBOL
Sign: A sign is a basic unit of meaning in
language or communication. It consists of two
components: the signifier and the signified. The
signifier is the form of the sign, which could be
a word, sound, image, gesture, etc., while the
signified is the concept or meaning associated
with that form. Signs can be natural or
conventional, and they convey meaning
through the relationship between the signifier
and the signified. For example, the word "cat"
is a sign with the signifier being the letters c-a-t
and the signified being the concept of a small,
furry animal.
Symbol: A symbol is a type of sign that
represents something beyond its literal
meaning. Unlike signs, symbols often have
arbitrary or culturally specific meanings that are
not directly tied to their form. Symbols acquire
their meaning through social convention,
cultural context, or individual interpretation.
They can be words, images, gestures, or
objects that stand for abstract concepts, ideas,
or emotions. For instance, a red heart
symbolizes love or affection, but this
association is not inherently tied to the physical
form of a heart. Symbols are characterized by
their capacity to carry rich layers of meaning
and can evoke complex associations.
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12. SYNTAGMATIC VS PARADIGMATIC RELATIONSHIP
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Paradigmatic relationship = between
elements in a class or system, only one
can operate at a time.
Syntagmatic relationship = between
elements in a linear sequence, structural

13. SUBSTANCE AND FORM
Substance: In linguistics, substance refers to the material or concrete elements of
language, such as sounds, letters, and words. It encompasses the physical
manifestation of language, including the sounds produced when speaking, the written
symbols used in writing, and the individual lexical items or words themselves.
Substance is concerned with the actual material that comprises language, regardless
of its meaning or function.
Form: Form, on the other hand, refers to the abstract organization or structure of
linguistic elements. It encompasses the patterns, rules, and arrangements that
govern how linguistic units are combined and structured to convey meaning. Form
includes grammatical rules, syntactic structures, and phonological patterns that
determine how sounds, words, and sentences are organized in a language. Form is
concerned with the systematic organization and arrangement of linguistic elements to
create meaningful communication. 13

14. THANK YOU
Any Questions?