Introduction to Linguistics Ms Suha Jawabreh Lecture 2
Introduction to Linguistics Ms. Suha Jawabreh Lecture # 2
What is Linguistics? -Linguistics is the scientific study of language. - This statement raises two questions: 1. What do we mean by scientific? 2. What do mean by language?
- Linguistics is a science ; therefore, a linguist is a scientist. - A linguist studies language in much the same way as a scientist studies physics or chemistry. - It means that a linguist observes language use , form a hypothesis , test this hypothesis , and refine it. - This hypothesis may eventually become a theory.
Example: - A hypothesis: “ Adjectives always precede nouns in English” - Example from English to support this hypothesis: - A good man
-Carrying out a detailed examination of the position of adjectives in English we find out that: 1. Adjectives can be attributive. ( They can occur before a noun) 2. Adjectives can be predicative ( They can occur after a noun following a verb) 3. A few adjectives used in fixed phrases immediately follow the noun they modify.
What is Language? - Language is a set of signals by which we communicate. - However, animals have a communication system. -How do human languages differ from animal communication?
- Human Languages are: 1. Flexible 2. Complex 3. Precise 4. Productive 5. Can be expressed in writing 6. Arbitrary and systematic at the same time
Language and medium -Language is an abstract system that can be realized as : 1. Speech 2. Writing
-This diagram illustrates the relationship between language and its mediums: language (abstraction) mediums (concrete ) speech writing
The Components of Language 1. Sounds – Phonetics and Phonology 2. Words – Morphology 3. Phrases and sentences- Syntax 4. Meaning- Semantics and Pragmatics
- Slides: 10