WRIT 2003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Linguistic Prescription, Written Language, Animal Communication

• School: York University
• Department: Writing
• Course: WRIT 2003
• Professor: John Spencer

Document Summary

50,000 years ago language was essential to us becoming as smart as we are and is central to the success to humans as a species on earth. Through studying animal communication this development happened in three stages. Transferred meanings: each message (growl, squack) refers to one referent, however human language has the ability to transfer meanings through one word. Co(cid:373)ple(cid:454)it(cid:455) of tra(cid:374)sferred (cid:373)ea(cid:374)i(cid:374)gs (cid:862)ora(cid:374)ge(cid:863) (cid:373)ore tha(cid:374) o(cid:374)e or e(cid:448)e(cid:374) t(cid:449)o meanings. Animals have one meaning at a time, humans have developed elements of language which refer to language; we are able to enhance the complexity of meaning using adverbs, conjunctions etc. Language is uniquely human and indeed a child growing up in a language community, can learn oral language without being explicitly taught; learned innately simply by living in a community. Language therefore has a wide variety of functions and uses for us. The legal system; through defence and prosecution, creating and preserving laws.