Scribd
Upload
30 views

Second Asignment Applied Linguistic

Languages can differ in their sounds, word formation, and sentence structure. They use different phonologies, morphologies, and syntaxes. Humans possess language because we have an innate language capacity. Language influences perception, classification, and abstract thinking. According to Chomsky's theory, children are born with the ability to learn any human language, as evidenced by their avoidance of grammatical errors and ability to understand and produce novel sentences.

Uploaded by

Ahmad Ramdhani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
30 views

Second Asignment Applied Linguistic

Languages can differ in their sounds, word formation, and sentence structure. They use different phonologies, morphologies, and syntaxes. Humans possess language because we have an innate language capacity. Language influences perception, classification, and abstract thinking. According to Chomsky's theory, children are born with the ability to learn any human language, as evidenced by their avoidance of grammatical errors and ability to understand and produce novel sentences.

Uploaded by

Ahmad Ramdhani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Language and Languages, Language and Nations: The Boundaries and

Relationship

In defining language and languages we may see to the simple form of both, one is
singular and one is plural. But in many times, people define language as the formal system
talking about the system of grammar, lexis, phonology in the way that it can have a meaning.
Language is not always in the form of spoken, but it can be in the form of writen even
gestures.

Languages consisted of thousand of signs, which are the combination of form and
meaning. In the form of spoken, it consists of sounds, even a single sound. In the written
language is consists of the letters, words, and senteces.

Some linguists claim that the reason why humans are the only possessors of language
is that we have an innate language capacity. Others claim that the reason is our general
cognitive capacities, which surpass those of all other species.

. The linguistic studies indicate that linguistic categories influence at least three
different levels of thought:

1. Perception, as when the "name strategy" is used in forming judgements about the
relative distance between colours.

2. Classification, as when the shape/form categories of the Navaho verb system


prompt Navaho-speaking children to classify objects on the basis of shape/form, or
when the distinction between count nouns and mass nouns in English prompt
English speakers of all ages to distinguish sharply between objects and substances.

3. Abstract thinking, as in the case of mathematics and counterfactual reasoning.

Noam Chomsky believes that children are born with an inherited ability to learn any
human language

Evidence to support Chomsky’s theory


 Children learning to speak never make grammatical errors such as getting their
subjects, verbs and objects in the wrong order.
 If an adult deliberately said a grammatically incorrect sentence, the child would
notice.
 Children often say things that are ungrammatical such as ‘mama ball’, which they
cannot have learnt passively.
 Mistakes such as ‘I drawed’ instead of ‘I drew’ show they are not learning through
imitation alone.
 Chomsky used the sentence ‘colourless green ideas sleep furiously’, which is
grammatical although it doesn’t make sense, to prove his theory: he said it shows that
sentences can be grammatical without having any meaning, that we can tell the
difference between a grammatical and an ungrammatical sentence without ever having
heard the sentence before, and that we can produce and understand brand new sentences
that no one has ever said before

Languages can differ in many ways. They may use different sounds (Phonology and
Phonetics), they may make words in different ways (Morphology), they may put words
together to form a sentence in different ways (Syntax).

Language can be different because of Phonetics and Phonology, Morphology and


Syntax

1. How can languages differ ?

Answer: Languages can differ in many ways. They may use different sounds
(Phonology and Phonetics), they may make words in different ways
(Morphology), they may put words together to form a sentence in different
ways (Syntax).

2. Why do only humans who posses the language ?


Answer: Because we have an innate language capacity

3. What are the three levels of thought which are influenced by the language ?
Answer: Perception, Classification and Abstract Thinking

4. What is the Chomsky’s theory about language acquisition ?


Answer: He believed that humn since baby has the inherited ability to learn any
human languages
5. What are the evidences to support Chomsky’s theory?

Answer: Evidence to support Chomsky’s theory


 Children learning to speak never make grammatical errors such as getting their
subjects, verbs and objects in the wrong order.
 If an adult deliberately said a grammatically incorrect sentence, the child would
notice.
 Children often say things that are ungrammatical such as ‘mama ball’, which
they cannot have learnt passively.
 Mistakes such as ‘I drawed’ instead of ‘I drew’ show they are not learning
through imitation alone.
 Chomsky used the sentence ‘colourless green ideas sleep furiously’, which is
grammatical although it doesn’t make sense, to prove his theory: he said it
shows that sentences can be grammatical without having any meaning, that we
can tell the difference between a grammatical and an ungrammatical sentence
without ever having heard the sentence before, and that we can produce and
understand brand new sentences that no one has ever said before

You might also like