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Study of Language Units 1 To 18

the great summary for stunds

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28 views3 pages

Study of Language Units 1 To 18

the great summary for stunds

Uploaded by

ezekielmusica2023
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Study of Language by George Yule:

Detailed Concepts from Units 1 to 18


Unit 1: The Origins of Language

Divine Source
Definition: The belief that language was a gift from a divine being or higher power.

Examples: In the Bible, God gave Adam the ability to name animals.
Ancient Egyptians believed language was a gift from the god Thoth.
In Hindu tradition, language was granted by the goddess Sarasvati.

Natural Sound Source


Definition: Language originated from humans imitating sounds from the natural
environment.

Examples: The 'bow-wow' theory suggests that words like 'cuckoo' and 'meow' imitated
animal sounds.
The 'pooh-pooh' theory holds that language started from instinctive emotional cries like
'Ouch!'.
Examples of onomatopoeia derived from natural sound source include 'splash,' 'buzz,' and
'crash'.

Social Interaction Source


Definition: Language developed from the sounds people made during coordinated efforts,
like working together.

Examples: The 'yo-he-ho' theory explains that language emerged from collective effort
sounds like grunts and rhythmic chants during tasks.
Early humans lifting heavy objects may have used rhythmic sounds to synchronize actions.

Physical Adaptation Source


Definition: Language developed due to specific physiological changes that made speech
possible.

Examples: Upright posture allowed for changes in the human skull, creating space for
speech organs.
Human teeth are suited for speech, unlike those of apes.
The descent of the larynx and development of the pharynx enabled a wider range of sounds.
Tool-Making Source
Definition: Language and tool-making skills co-developed, using the same brain areas for
complex tasks.

Examples: The coordination needed for making tools might have triggered the development
of more complex communication.
Brain areas that control speech and hand movements are closely related.

Genetic Source
Definition: Humans are genetically equipped with a language faculty, unlike any other
species.

Examples: The Innateness Hypothesis suggests that humans have a genetic predisposition
for language acquisition.
Children learn language quickly without formal instruction.
Deaf children develop sign language on their own if exposed to no formal language.

Unit 2: Animals and Human Language

Displacement
Definition: The ability to refer to things that are not present in the immediate environment.

Examples: Humans can talk about past events ('Yesterday, I went to the park') and future
plans ('Tomorrow, I will visit my friend').
Bees show limited displacement by communicating the location of a food source using
dance.

Arbitrariness
Definition: There is no natural connection between a linguistic sign and its meaning.

Examples: The word 'dog' does not inherently resemble the animal it represents.
In different languages, the same animal is called 'perro' (Spanish), 'chien' (French), and
'dog' (English), demonstrating the arbitrary relationship between words and meanings.

Productivity
Definition: The capacity to create new and infinite combinations of linguistic elements.

Examples: Humans can generate countless sentences, such as 'The quick brown fox jumps
over the lazy dog.'
Children create new words and phrases, like 'un-break' (undo breaking), showing
productivity.
Cultural Transmission
Definition: Language is passed from one generation to the next through social interaction,
not genetic inheritance.

Examples: A child born to Chinese parents but raised by English speakers will learn English,
not Chinese.
In some cultures, language is learned through interaction with family and community
members.

Duality
Definition: Human language operates on two levels: individual sounds (phonemes) and
meaningful combinations of sounds (morphemes).

Examples: The sounds /k/, /a/, and /t/ do not have meaning individually, but when
combined as 'cat,' they create a meaningful word.
In languages like English, different combinations of the same sounds ('bat' and 'tab') have
different meanings.

Vervet Monkeys Communication


Definition: Vervet monkeys use distinct vocalizations to signal different types of danger.

Examples: Vervet monkeys have different calls for different predators: 'chutter' for snakes
and 'rrup' for eagles.
Their calls are not flexible and cannot be recombined to form new messages.

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