TASK 2 Introduction to linguistics

Task 2. The nature of linguistics and language
Tutor: Andres Orlando Blanco
Students:
Ingrid Katherine Ortiz López
Maria Alejandra Alvarado Barcinilla
Bayholain Yesenia López Hernández
Group: 518017_47
UNAD National Open and Distance University
School of Education Sciences
Bachelor's degrees in Foreign Languages with
Emphasis in English
Introduction of Linguistics
Colombia, 2 octuber 2020

AUTHORS OF LINGUISTICS
Ferdinand de Saussure
(1857/11/26 - 1913/02/22)
Ferdinand de Saussure
Swiss linguist
Considered the founder of modern linguistics and
semiotics.
Works: Mémoire, Cours de linguistique genérale
Psychologically, our thought, apart from its expression
in words, is just a shapeless and indistinct mass "
Noam chomsky
(1928/12/07 - Unknown)
Noam chomsky
American linguist
One of the most important language theorists and
political activists of the 20th century.
Works: The Guardians of Freedom, Syntactic
Structures
Fields: Generative grammar, linguistics, communication
theory
"We shouldn't be looking for heroes, we should be
looking for good ideas"
Michael Alexander Kirkwood Halliday (or M. A. K.
Halliday)
(1925-), English linguist, is known to have developed a
theory of grammar known as Functional Systemic
Grammar or Functional Systemic Linguistics [SFL]. He
studied Mandarin Chinese literature at the University of
London. He lived in China for three years, where he
studied with Luo Changpei at Peking University and
with Wang Li at Lingnan. He came back and got a
doctorate in Chinese linguistics at Cambridge.

THE NATURE OF LINGUISTICS
AND LANGUAGE
1-‘If we could embrace the sum of
word-images stored in the minds of
all individuals, we could identify the
social bond that constitutes
language. It is a storehouse filled by
the members of a given community
through their active use of speaking,
a grammatical system that has a
potential existence in each brain, or,
specifically, in the brains of a group
of individuals. For language is not
complete in any speaker; it exists
perfectly only within a collectivity.’
This phrase belongs to Ferdinand de
Sausurre. In his theory he says that a
phenomenon happens in our brains,
there is an association of words and
images, Saussure viewed language
as a system of signs, which consist of
two parts: signified and signifier,
signified is the mental concept
images and signifier is the group
words and sounds, on the other hand,
Sausurre says that different
languages divide the experience in
different ways, that is, the language
is within a collectivity of people who
understand the language with each
other, in some languages they use a
name for one and all understand it,
in another language or culture it will
not be the same meaning, but that
type of language is already in the
brain of each individual and there
are also differences over time in the
relationships between meanings and
signifiers.

2-‘It seems clear that we must regard linguistic
competence – knowledge of a language – as an
abstract system underlying behavior, a system
constituted by rules that interact to determine
the form and intrinsic meaning of a potentially
infinite number of sentences.
This phrase belongs to Chomsky in his theory
he considered that grammar is rules and
principles in the mind of a speaker-listener. I-
language being the internal set of linguistic
rules that children develop over their early
years
3-‘Every text – that is, everything that is said or
written – unfolds in some context of use;
furthermore, it is the uses of language that,
over tens of thousands of generations, have
shaped the system. Language has evolved to
satisfy human needs; and the way it is
organized is functional with respect to these
needs.’
This phrase belongs to Halliday, in his theory
he considered that is necessary to use the text
and situational context to understand a point
of view of someone, even when there is
something grammatically incorrect people can
communicate their ideas.
4-Linguistic theory is concerned
primarily with an ideal speaker-hearer,
in a completely homogeneous speech
community, who knows its language
perfectly and is unaffected by such
grammatically irrelevant conditions as
memory limitations, distractions, shifts of
attention and interest, errors (random or
characteristic) in applying his
knowledge of the language in actual
performance.’
This phrase belongs to Chomsky
considered that people must be aware
about the grammar. He renames
language and grammar, externalized
language (E-language) and
internalized language (I-language)
respectively. According to Chomsky, E-
language (language) is something
abstract externalized from the actual
apparatus of our mind and I-language
(grammar) is the physical mechanism of
our brain

5. ‘Language is a system of
interdependent terms in which the
value of each term results solely
from the simultaneous presence of
the others … [for example]. To
determine what a five-franc piece is
worth one most know: (1) that it can
be exchanged for a fixed quantity
of a different thing, e.g. bread; and
(2) that it can be compared with a
similar value of the same system,
e.g. a one-franc piece, or with coins
of another system (a dollar, etc.). In
the same way a word can be
exchanged for something dissimilar,
an idea; besides, it can be
compared with something of the
same nature, another word. Its value
is therefore not fixed so long as one
simply states that it can be
‘exchanged’ for a given concept.’
This phrase belongs to Ferdinand
Sausurre He considered that
language is a set of signs which are:
(a) members of a system; and (b)
defined by their relationships to
each other and also here there are
differences across time in
relationships between signifieds and
signifiers.
6-‘Spoken and written
language, then, tend to
display different KINDS of
complexity; each of them is
more complex in its own way.
Written language tends to be
lexically dense but
grammatically simple; spoken
language tends to be
grammatically intricate but
lexically sparse’ … ‘The value
of having some explicit
knowledge of the grammar
of written language is that
you can use this knowledge,
not only to analyze the texts,
but as a critical resource for
asking questions about them.’
This phrase belongs to
Halliday, in his theory he
demonstrated why a speech
is effective. Requires
interpret the text, the context
situational and cultural
context. We should avoid
distinguishing between
idealized knowledge of
language and language in
use, between structure and
function.

Based on the second text
‘Linguistics’ in Bauer, Laurie; “The
Linguistic Student’s Handbook”
answer the following question:
why is Linguistics definitely
considered a science? In your
answer, involve the other
language areas such as semiotics,
philology and literature.
Linguistics is a science because it studies
language through the generations, it is
studied and analyzed how groups of
people can communicate with each other,
through speaking and writing, as we are
able to understand different languages, it
is known that a child learns the mother
tongue of what you see and hear from
your close relatives, but over time some
change their meaning.
Semiotics is a discipline that deals
with the comparative study of sign
systems, from the simplest signalling
systems to the natural languages and
formalized languages of science. The
basic functions of a child sign system: the
communication of the expression of a
Sense; Meaning communication, that is, to
make it possible for the reader (the
reader) to understand a communication
transmitted and at the same time
induction to an action, initiates
emotionally and that of these functions
before the internal organization of the
sign initiation system, that is, that of
various signs and their images of their
combination.

Philology is the
study of languages and
literatures, as well as the
corresponding culture of
their speakers, or the
diachronic or eidetic study
of literary texts or even
any vestige of written
language or language in
general, are commonly
understood. Philology is
responsible for improving
the understanding or
fixation of a text; the
language, on the other
hand, focuses exclusively
on its interest in the
language, spoken or
written, using the texts,
when they exist and need
them, only to know it
better.
Literature. Written in
Spanish and language, it
generally consists of the
systematic knowledge of the
origin and evolution of the
Spanish language, its great
literary expressions and basic
preparatory of the techniques of
an actions of approaching
methods in diachronic linguistics
and literature.
Literature written in Spanish and
language generally consists of
the systematic knowledge of the
origin and evolution of the
Spanish language, of its great
literary expressions and basic
preparatory of techniques of
analysis and approach to
methods in the diacritical
language and in literature.

The concept of ‘double articulation’ is
a classic one at identifying language,
please, explain it, and give examples.
Double articulation refers to the twofold
structure of the stream of speech, which can
be primarily divided into meaningful signs
(like words or morphemes), and then
secondarily into distinctive elements (like
sounds or phonemes). For example, the
meaningful English word "cat" is composed of
the sounds /k/, /æ/, and /t/, which are
meaningless as separate individual sounds
(and which can also be combined to form the
separate words "tack" and "act", with distinct
meanings). These sounds, called phonemes,
represent the secondary and lowest level of
articulation in the hierarchy of the
organization of speech. Higher, primary, levels
of organization (including morphology, syntax,
and semantics) govern the combination of
these individually meaningless phonemes into
meaningful elements.
" is usually pronounced as one sound.
The fist articulation is
related with the morphemes
Other examples: Bigger----
-- Big is the morpheme and
ger is the suffix
The second articulation is
related with phonemes
Example: Letter, the word
letter has 6 letters and 4
phonemes, because 'tt' is
pronounced as one t and
"er

Human language is different from other semiotic systems, explain
at least three characteristics, that according to Linguistics, are
unique to human language
Human and non-human communication have been investigated from a great
variety of perspectives within science, and very few disciplines seem to
agree on a definition of language. It is of crucial importance that we know
exactly what language is if research in non-human communication is to be
accepted as evidence of linguistic ability.
Linguistics is unique for human language because this process includes
perceptual and cognitive abilities that are required for language production
and comprehension, but that are shared with other perceptual and cognitive
processes.
Human language has means of communication that differs from semiotics, for
example it has another communication system:
Arbitrariness: The relationship between the signifier and the signified.
The dual articulation: The word p-a-t-o, none of them have meaning, but
when they are formed they give us a meaning, we all know that it is duck.
Discrete units: All human languages have elements that make a difference,
for example, “cough” and “two”, two words that cannot be reduced, but we
know that with “d” and “t” they make a difference in meaning.