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Tutorial Task 2

The document discusses three properties of human language: 1) broadcast transmission and directional reception, 2) total feedback, and 3) being symbolic using a set of sounds and characters. It then compares these properties to animal communication and discusses how human and animal codes differ. Finally, it relates knowing a language to linguistic competence and performance, stating that complete knowledge involves mastery of both knowing and doing with the language.

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TESLSJKC-0620 Wong Ben Lu
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16 views2 pages

Tutorial Task 2

The document discusses three properties of human language: 1) broadcast transmission and directional reception, 2) total feedback, and 3) being symbolic using a set of sounds and characters. It then compares these properties to animal communication and discusses how human and animal codes differ. Finally, it relates knowing a language to linguistic competence and performance, stating that complete knowledge involves mastery of both knowing and doing with the language.

Uploaded by

TESLSJKC-0620 Wong Ben Lu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1) Elaborate on each property.

a) Broadcast transmission and directional reception


It means that human language signal can be sent out in all directions, while it is
perceived in limited direction. For spoken language, the sound perpetuates as a
waveform that expands from the mouth in all directions. However, the listener hears
the sound as coming from a particular direction and is notably better at hearing
sounds that are coming from in front of the them than from behind them.
b) Total feedback
This means that the speaker can hear themselves speak and can monitor their
language performance as they go. This differs from some other simple
communication systems, such as traffic signals. Traffic signs are not normally
capable of monitor their own functions. For example, the bulb of the red light is burn
out, but it can’t tell itself.

2) Discuss how the properties of language distinguish human and animal codes.

Human Animal
can talk about remote, abstract, or imaginary context driven—they react to stimuli, or
things that aren't happening in their immediate indexes
environments.
symbolic, using a set number of sounds not symbolic, so it cannot preserve ideas of
(phonemes) and characters (alphabet), which the past.
allows ideas to be recorded and preserved.
human voice box and tongue are very unique, Other animals have different biological
and are required to make the sounds we structures, which impact the way they
recognize as language. make sounds.
A word, or sign, can have several Every sign has only one meaning.
meanings.

3) What does it mean to know a language? Relate it to linguistic competence and


linguistic performance.
Languages are complex systems ranging across many dimensions. When learning a new
language, you may very well become more proficient in some sets of skills than in others,
depending on circumstances such as your background knowledge, and what motivates you
the most. Such skill sets overlap, intersect and depend on one another, but you are free to
choose what you want to focus on, based on your particular goals.  In short, competence
involves “knowing” the language and performance involves “doing” something with the
language. If a learner can master in both “knowing” and “doing” in any situation, that means
this learner has completely know the language.

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