Chapter 2

1. Teaching Student with
Language and
Communication Disabilities
by S. Jay Kuder
Chapter 2: The Elements of
Language

2. Chapter Goals:
After reading this chapter students should be able to:
 1. Describe the basic elements of language.
 2. Understand the terms “phoneme” and
“morpheme” and how they differ from each
other.
 3. Understand the rules that underlie syntax.
 4. Understand some of the challenges in
developing rules for semantics.
 5. Understand the concept of pragmatics and its
application in communication.

3. Phonology: one PART of language
 Approximately 44 “sounds” in English
 PHONEME
 Smallest unit of sound which can “signal” a
difference in meaning

4. What is phonology?
 Study of the “sound system” of language
 RULES for sounds and how they can be
arranged

5. International Phonetic Alphabet
As an example, the last name of actor
Jake Gyllenhaal, written ˈdʒɪlənhɔːl in the
IPA, might be written jĭl′·ən·hôl or jil
-ən-hawl in a phonemic system, and Jill-
in-hall in a non-phonemic system.
(Wikipedia)

6. Experience the IPA!!
 Review IPA Chart (Handout)
 Group Quiz

7. Morphology: just ONE part of language
 Morphology: study of WORDS and how
they are formed
 Morpheme:
 Smallest unit of “meaning” in a language

8. Examples of Morphemes:
 BASEMENT – How many morphemes?
 BASE – 1
 MENT – 0
 BASEBALL – How many morphemes?
 BASE – 1
 BALL – 2

9. Further dividing “morphemes”
 Free vs. Bound
 Free morphemes stand ALONE
 Bound morphemes ONLY have meaning
when attached to another morpheme
 Examples:
 “s”- plural, more than one
 “pre” – before, (prefix)
 “able” – capable of, (suffix)

10. SYNTAX: the third PART of language
 What is “syntax” – it is the study of the
RULES which govern how words are put
together to make phrases and sentences

11. Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky!

12. Jabberwocky Exercises
Complete both exercises to turn in for credit:
 1. Bloom’s Taxonomy and the
Jabberwocky
 2. Spell Check “Jabberwocky” and
examine your findings….
 Reflect
in note-form 3 points related to
syntax and the Jabberwocky.

13. Chomsky, grammar and ASD
 Transformational Grammar – Noam
Chomsky theory defining TWO levels
found in all languages
 1. SURFACE vs. DEEP
2. What are some considerations special
education teachers should address in this
area of social skills/language acquisition?

14. Chomsky Phrase Structure examined:
 Correct syntax but no LITERAL meaning:
 Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
 Furiously sleep ideas green colorless.
 Activity: Pick one phrase and one mode of
explanation to share with the class
 Picture
 Mind Map

15. Semantics: the “Insides” of language
 Semantics is the study of the meaning of
words
 TWO theories to keep in mind when
determining the “content” of a sentence
 Semantic component theory – certain
fundamental features of all words
 Selection restriction – rules which govern
what words can appear together

16. Metaphor Skills…
 Pick one of the following metaphors:
1. Read it for understanding.
2. Explain your understanding in BOTH a
sentence and drawing.
3. Create your own metaphor for the same
idea expressed in your literature choice.

17. Metaphors – a semantic experience:
 Her tall black-suited body seemed to carve its way through the crowded
room."
(Josephine Hart, Damage, 1991)
 "Fear is a slinking cat I find
Beneath the lilacs of my mind."
(Sophie Tunnell, "Fear")
 The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough."
(Ezra Pound, "In a Station of the Metro")
 "Those images that yet
Fresh images beget,
That dolphin-torn, that gong-tormented sea."
(W.B. Yeats, "Byzantium")

18. Pragmatics: “Using” language
 “The use of language to express one’s
intentions and to get things done in the
world” – Gleason
 IndirectSpeech Acts
 Direct Speech Acts
 Relation Principle
 Quantity
 Quality
 Manner

19. Pragmatics… cases for
misunderstanding?
 Edward Scissorhands - Table Manners
 Big Bang Theory - Counterfactuals