COMD 2081 Chapter : Ch 7 Fluency
Document Summary
Animal vocalization: humans are the only one with language that"s unlimited, animals have calls but are limited. History of the human language: call system like most primates, two theories 200,000 years ago w/ 1st homo sapiens or 50,000 w/ sophisticated tool making. Language instinct: all humans have the ability to learn language, natural like a dog wagging its tail. Universal grammar: basic set of principles that all language follows, noam chomsky. Language and symbols: human language = a complex set of symbols, words = symbols for things, relationship b/w sound and meaning = symbolic, unlimited amount of meanings w/ limited amount of sounds. Characteristics of language: conventionality: words are symbols, productivity: combining words to make new meanings, displacement: ability to describe things that does not exist in the present. Structure: people study how language is built/ studied outside of cultural context, phonology (sounds)/ morphology (how words are put together)/ syntax (structure)/ semantic (meaning)
