Chapter 2 Foundations of Verbal Language Origins of Human Language Language is a system of arbitrary signals such as sounds gestures or symbols used by a nation people or distinct community to communicate thoughts and feelings constantly changing Grammar rules for combining language components Verbal language developed not sure how then written codes NYC language density Cybernetic process you have been taught the word pencil input it has Some languages are disappearing been placed stored in your cortex with the image when you see the pencil stimulus it activates your cortex to find the stored visual search recall and say pencil output develops 3rd month after birth becomes fully operational later on Language explosion theory proposes that we build communication skills from the core of language we develop early in life mom dad sibling talking to you Significant other theory centers on the principle that our understanding of self is built by those who react to and comment on our language actions ideas beliefs and mannerisms ex you respect someone you are likely to behave in a way that makes them compliment you Linguistics the study of sounds structures and rules of human language o Languages are based on a set of symbols verbal nonverbal o Languages that are alphabetically based recognize the differences between vowels and consonants o Languages have ordered structural categories verbs nouns objects o Just words are not necessarily meaningful Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis Sapir Whorf Hypothesis theorizes that a person s understanding of the world and how the person behaves in it are based on the language a person speaks different language patterns yield differing patterns of thought Denotative meanings direct explicit meanings dog Connotative meanings implied suggested meaning good Semantics the relationship between language and meaning Don t assume everything falls into a two valued orientation its not just black white there s grey Emotive language employs connotative words to express feelings attitudes and emotions of the speaker Phatic language is one whose function is to preform a social task greetings farewells small talk Cognitive language convey information Rhetorical language influence thoughts and behaviors Identifying language centers on naming ppl or things specifically she went to the mall vs Carley went to the mall Name identity language distortion caused by ambiguity vagueness inferences message adjustment o doublespeak a form of vagueness that is deceptive evasive or o inferences result when we interpret beyond available info or jump confusing to conclusions The Languages We Use Linguist a social scientist who studies the structures of various languages Dialect a social or regional variation of a language dialects differ from each other in terms of pronunciation vocab grammar and prosody accent tone dialects can develop into their own languages over time Accent the pronunciation and intonation used by a person Standard dialect high prestige dialects those in power with influence educated literature science official records written in this Nonstandard dialect low prestige dialects No legal language in USA Slang denotes words that are related to a particular activity or incident are immediately understood by members of a particular group Technobabble Inarticulates are uttered sounds words or phrases that have no meaning or do not help the listener gain a clear understanding of the message such as the phrase stuff powerless language like um so Standard American English is normally used but there are nonstandard English dialects like Spanglish It can be detrimental to a person s education and economic health to not speak standard American English Using Verbal Language Be clear and precise Slang expressions words unique to a region texting abbreviations euphemisms work against clarity precision Make your language memorable colorful compelling
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