Linguistics: The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics Linguistics: Towards an Answer to the The Science of Human Language Question How Language Is, Not How It Should Be Summary
Linguistics: Course Readings The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics Towards an Answer to the The following readings have been posted to the Moodle Question course site: How Language Is, Not How It Should ◮ Contemporary Linguistics: Chapter 1 (pp. 1-14) Be Summary ◮ Language Instinct: Chapter 1 (pp. 1-11)
Linguistics: Some Opening Questions The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics What is linguistics? Language as a Biological Mystery The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules The Fundamental Question, Rephrased Towards an Answer to the Question How Language Is, Not How It Should Be Summary
Linguistics: Some Opening Questions The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics What is linguistics? Language as a Biological Mystery ◮ The study of language (duh!) The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules The Fundamental Question, Rephrased Towards an Answer to the Question How Language Is, Not How It Should Be Summary
Linguistics: Some Opening Questions The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics What is linguistics? Language as a Biological Mystery ◮ The study of language (duh!) The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules The Fundamental Question, ◮ The scientific study of human language. Rephrased Towards an Answer to the Question How Language Is, Not How It Should Be Summary
Linguistics: Some Opening Questions The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics What is linguistics? Language as a Biological Mystery ◮ The study of language (duh!) The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules The Fundamental Question, ◮ The scientific study of human language. Rephrased Towards an Answer to the Question OK, but why study human language? How Language Is, Not How It Should Be Summary
Linguistics: Some Opening Questions The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics What is linguistics? Language as a Biological Mystery ◮ The study of language (duh!) The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules The Fundamental Question, ◮ The scientific study of human language. Rephrased Towards an Answer to the Question OK, but why study human language? How Language Is, Not How It Should ◮ Because our ability to learn and use human language Be constitutes a profound biological mystery Summary
Linguistics: Language as a Biological Mystery The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Like all core mental faculties, the miraculous nature of Linguistics Language as a Biological language is obscured by how effortless it seems to us. Mystery The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules ◮ When you see a book, you ‘just see it’. The Fundamental Question, Rephrased ◮ You’re not aware of all the incredible neurological Towards an Answer to the computation that goes on. Question How Language Is, ◮ When you speak/understand, you ‘just do it’ Not How It Should Be ◮ You’re not aware of all the incredible neurological Summary computation that goes on.
Linguistics: An Illustration The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics Language as a Biological Mystery Close your eyes, and listen to this sentence: The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules The Fundamental Question, Rephrased Towards an Answer to the Question How Language Is, Not How It Should Be Summary
Linguistics: An Illustration The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics Language as a Biological Mystery Close your eyes, and listen to this sentence: The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules The Fundamental Question, Rephrased ◮ Aardvarks from Eastern South Africa have a special, Towards an Answer to the triangular pocket in their abdomens that they use to Question store rocks and sometimes small rodents. How Language Is, Not How It Should Be Summary
Linguistics: An Illustration The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental What Happened? Question of Linguistics ◮ I put a thought into your head. Language as a Biological Mystery ◮ But not with ‘magic’ or telepathy; I did it by making The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules sounds with my mouth The Fundamental Question, Rephrased ◮ Moreover: Towards an Answer to the ◮ Your thinking this thought was automatic Question ◮ (like a reflex, you couldn’t help it) How Language Is, Not How It Should ◮ The thought was incredibly specific Be ◮ (wasn’t just about ‘aardvarks’ in general) Summary ◮ The thought was one you’d never thought before ◮ (I put a new ‘piece of information’ into your head)
Linguistics: The Uniqueness of Human Language The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics In this way, human language is unlike anything else in the Language as a Biological Mystery natural world. The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules The Fundamental Question, Rephrased It’s fundamentally unlike other animal communication Towards an Answer to the systems (LING 101) Question How Language Is, ◮ In terms of the kind of information it can convey Not How It Should Be ◮ In terms of the kind of combinatoric system it is Summary
Linguistics: The Fundamental Question The Science of Human Language Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics Language as a Biological Mystery The Fundamental Question How do we do all of this? The Importance of Rules The Fundamental Question, Rephrased Towards an ◮ What kinds of computations are going on in our brains Answer to the Question that make all of this happen? How Language Is, Not How It Should Be Summary
Linguistics: The Fundamental Question: The Science of Human Language How Do We Do It? Course Readings The Fundamental Question of One Obviously Wrong Answer: Linguistics Language as a Biological Mystery Maybe, with our big brains, we just memorize a ton of The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules expressions (like thousands)? The Fundamental Question, Rephrased Towards an ◮ After all, memorizing is a big part of learning a language Answer to the Question ◮ When we acquired (learned) English, we had to just How Language Is, memorize: Not How It Should Be ◮ “dog” = canis familiaris Summary ◮ “kick the bucket” = die ◮ ?? “Pencils taste woody” = Pencils taste woody ??
Linguistics: The Fundamental Question: The Science of Human Language How Do We Do It? Course Readings The Fundamental Why Is This ‘Obviously Wrong’? Question of Linguistics Language as a Biological Mystery ◮ Although memorizing single expressions is a big part of The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules language learning, it’s not the only part ... The Fundamental Question, Rephrased Towards an Answer to the Question How Language Is, Not How It Should Be Summary
Linguistics: The Fundamental Question: The Science of Human Language How Do We Do It? Course Readings The Fundamental Why Is This ‘Obviously Wrong’? Question of Linguistics Language as a Biological Mystery ◮ Although memorizing single expressions is a big part of The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules language learning, it’s not the only part ... The Fundamental Question, Rephrased ◮ ... Because you can understand complex expressions that Towards an Answer to the you’ve never heard before: Question How Language Is, ◮ Aardvarks from Eastern South Africa have a special, Not How It Should Be triangular pocket in their abdomens that they use to Summary store rocks and sometimes small rodents.
Linguistics: The Fundamental Question: The Science of Human Language How Do We Do It? Course Readings The Fundamental Why Is This ‘Obviously Wrong’? Question of Linguistics Language as a Biological Mystery ◮ Although memorizing single expressions is a big part of The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules language learning, it’s not the only part ... The Fundamental Question, Rephrased ◮ ... Because you can understand complex expressions that Towards an Answer to the you’ve never heard before: Question How Language Is, ◮ Aardvarks from Eastern South Africa have a special, Not How It Should Be triangular pocket in their abdomens that they use to Summary store rocks and sometimes small rodents. ... so what are we missing here?...
Linguistics: The Fundamental Question: The Science of Human Language How Do We Do It? Course Readings The Fundamental Question of Linguistics Language as a Biological A Thought Experiment: Mystery The Fundamental Question The Importance of Rules ◮ Suppose you knew these words of Yalalag Zapotec: The Fundamental Question, Rephrased “tu” = a “bekw” = dog “xid” = cat “blhelhe” = saw Towards an Answer to the Question How Language Is, Not How It Should Be Summary
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