Language in Use Pragmatics Natural and conventional signs

Language in Use • Pragmatics • Natural and conventional signs

Language in use • What is linguistics? Linguistics is the scientific study of the language where the linguist follows the general methodology of science. He/she would observe how the language is used, form hypothesis about the language, test hypothesis, and finally accept or reject the hypothesis.

What are the branches of Linguistics? • Phonetics: The study of speech sounds in their physical aspects • Phonology: The study of speech sounds in their cognitive aspects • • Morphology: The study of the formation of words Syntax: The study of the formation of sentences Semantics: The study of meaning Pragmatics : The study of language use

What are the differences between Semantics & Pragmatics meaning Semantics

• Semantics: is concerned with speaker’s competence to use the language system in producing meaningful utterances and comprehending the utterances produced by others. The usual meaning of the word or sentence. • Pragmatics: is concerned with the speaker’s ability to produce meaning from specific situation. (recognize/relate/ interpret/infer) The meaning that the word has in certain circumstances or specific contest.

• Language is a system of symbols through which people communicate with each other. Written symbols Signed Spoken

• Language Community: People who use the same language to communicate with each other. English community, Arabic community, Mexican community, …etc. • Within each language community, there are differences due to geographical or social nature: • Dialects: Different constituents that are found in others speeches or languages American English, British English, Australian English Palestinian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, Saudi Arabic, etc.

• Language is a Main constituent of the culture. • Cultural groupings are not necessarily coterminous with language communities. • Communication takes place in a large common background.

Natural Signs Linguistic Conventional

• Natural Signs: q All the sorts of sights, sounds, and smells that can be observed and interpreted. q They are unintentional. q There is no human sender nor receiver q They are the products of various events. q Footprint q Fire q Black Cloud q Moving Treetops q Stomach

Conventional Signs: The auditory and visual devices that people have created to send routine message to one another. q They are intentional. q There is human sender and receiver. q Auditory Signs: q The bells q The Sirens q The guns in races q Whistles q

Visual Signs:

Getting information from any sign comes in three steps: • Perception: • The sign and the observer share a context of place and time in which the sign attract the observer’s attention.

• Identification • Every perception is a unique experience. To say that we ‘recognize’ a phenomenon means that we match it with previous experiences stored in our memory.

• Interpretation • Meaning are often personal. The meaning of any sign depends on the space-time context is which we observe it.