1. Introduction to Language LCD 101: Intro to Language Fall 2011 Ryan

3. What is language?

4. What is it to know a language?

6. It is an exact science, similar to chemistry, physics, biology, etc.

8. a study of foreign languages

9. about how to write grammar books

11. How does the human brain process and produce language?

12. How come we are the only creatures on this planet that are capable of knowing and using a language? Or are we?

16. We use language to communicate.

18. Language Units

19. Language Units Units of language (sounds, syllables, words, etc.) don’t just combine randomly. They are arranged in a hierarchical system. On every level, there are rules that govern which units can exist in this particular language and how they can combine with each other.

20. Language Rules: Examples Are these English words? dream bruise strength pitch

21. Language Rules: Examples What about these words? Could they be English words? ricking glutch trest stoom

22. Answer: Sure. Even if they aren’t found in the dictionary, we can imagine them as being English words. Some new-ish words which once would have sounded strange: quark, google, email

23. Language Rules: Examples What about these words? Could they be English words? ngayon gdje mgla mbwa How do you know that this set of words is not possible in English?

24. Answer: You have a set of rules in your head, like a computer, that tells you which sounds can be combined to make possible English words and which sounds can’t. These rules are called phonotactic constraints.

25. Language Rules: Examples A speaker of another language has a different “computer”, a different set of rules that compute sound combinations differently ngayon“now” Tagalog gdje “where” Croatian mgla “darkness” Russian mbwa “dog” Bantu

26. Language Rules: Examples Is this sentence? The cow jumped over the fence. Or this? Unhappiness my of friend’s apparent is. Or this? Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

27. Some Language Myths You have to be really smart to learn a language. “between you and I” British English is better than American English. Slang is not “real” language. You have an accent – I don’t.

28. Homework Find someone who speaks English with an accent different from yours. Objectively observe and record those differences. Describe some of those differences – does he or she use different sounds, words, expressions, etc? Be as specific as possible. Give examples. One to two pages, double-spaced, no larger than 12 font size.

29. References: The Study of Language. 2010. Yule, George. 4th Edition. Language Files. 2007. 10thEdition. Bergmann, A.; Hall, K.C.; Ross, S.M. American Tongues. 1988. PBS.