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01 Nature of Language

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956 views

01 Nature of Language

Uploaded by

Rosman Zamri
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ESLB2153 Introduction to Language and Linguistics

ESLB4014 An Introduction to Linguistics

Topic 1: The Properties of Human Language


The Properties of Human Language

• Unique system of communication

• Informative signals: signals which you have not intentionally sent  body language

• Communicative signals: signals you use intentionally to communicate something

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Properties of human language

• Displacement
• Human language refers to the past, present and future-
last night, at school, I’m flying to Paris next week
• Abstract concepts: Things that do not exist in real life,
e.g. superman, batman, Santa Claus

• Animal communication- immediate moment


• E.g.: Bee language: dance routine to communicate the
location of nectar

3 3
Properties of human language

• Arbitrariness
– no natural connection between a
linguistic form and its meaning=
arbitrary relationship
– Dog in English and‫لب‬/‫ ك‬in Arabic.

• In animal communication-
– a connection between the message
and the signal used to convey the
message.
– Consists of a fixed and limited set of
vocal forms
4
Properties of human language

• Productivity
o Humans are capable of creating new expressions
for new objects- infinite
o a language user can manipulate his linguistic
resources open endedness
o Animals have limited set of signals to choose
from- fixed reference
o Cannot produce any new signals to describe
novel experiences.
5 5
Properties of human language

• Cultural transmission
– We acquire language with other speakers  not from
parental genes
– The first language is acquired in a culture
– A Korean child living in USA.

• Animal communicative signals are produced


instinctively.
– Evidence for dialect differences
– Suggests that may be impact of “culture”
6 6
Properties of human language

• Duality
– Two levels: distinct sound & distinct meaning
• Physical level at which we can produce individual sounds e.g.
n, b, i.
• Meaning level: when we produce sounds in combination e.g.:
nib, bin
– Economical feature

• Animal communicative signals appear to be fixed


– Typically cannot be broken into parts- meow is not
m+e+o+w
– Again, some evidence this may not be completely true
7 7
Talking to animals

• Is language the exclusive property of human beings?

• Are the communication systems used by other creatures at all like human linguistic knowledge?

8 8
Chimpanzees and language

• Some researchers devoted their time to teach a


chimpanzee how to use human language- not
successful
– 1930s  Gua- was able to understand 100 words but
did not produce any
– 1940s  Viki- produced poorly articulated versions of
mama, papa, and cup
– Result  non-human primates lack a physically
structured vocal tract needed to produce sounds

9 9
Talking to animal

• Washoe
– Use a version of American Sign Language
– Raised like a human
– After 3 and half years  came to use more than 100 words
• Airplane, baby, banana
– Combine them to produce sentences
• More fruit

10 10
Talking to animals

• Sarah and Lana


– They both use word symbols
– Use a set of plastic shapes that represent words to communicate with humans
– Trained to associate shapes with objects or actions
– Was capable of producing sentences
• Mary give chocolate Sarah

11 11
The controversy

• Can animals speak human-like languages? NO


• Terrace argues  researchers over-interpreted their results
• Animals produce a particular behavior in response to a particular stimulus or ‘noise’, but do not
actually understand what the words mean.

12 12
Kanzi

• Learned the symbols not by being taught but


by being exposed to it in an early age.
• Were those chimpanzees capable of taking
part in interactions by using symbols chosen
by humans and not chimpanzees?
• Did they perform linguistically on a level of a
child their age?
• Humans possess a natural, inborn facility to be
creative with symbols; as far as we know,
animals do not.
13 13
Koko the Gorilla

• Use sign language and language boards/ computers


• Example of a conversation (live via internet)
– HaloMyBaby: Is Koko aware that she's chatting with thousands
of people now?
– LiveKOKO: Good here.
– DrPPatrsn: Koko is aware.
– Question: Do you like to chat with other people?
– […]
– LiveKOKO: fine nipple
– DrPPatrsn: Nipple rhymes with people, she doesn't sign people
per se, she was trying to do a "sounds like..."

14
Koko the Gorilla

• Also interested in emotional content of words, how interpreted our behaviors and objects

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOVS9zotSqM

• Koko reportedly cried when told of the death of Robin Williams.

15
Language learning?

• Rico:
– Kaminski, Call & Fisher, 2004
– Learned 200 nouns

• Chaser:
– Pilley and Reid, 2011
– Learned 600 names of objects
– Also can deduce new objects; show inference
– May be partially do to novelty effects

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6479QAJuz8

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