What is language?

What is language?

UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR

It refers to the grammatical rules that all languages have. It is the model that all languages follow. When learning a new language unconsciously, the sound and structure that a sentence must have is known to be understandable, also, it is logical that the rules should be used to make sense of what we want to communicate. According to Noam Chomsky, human beings are born with a language acquisition device and the ability to acquire a language and its grammar with ease. He also he ensures that all languages are similar with respect to grammar.

Teaching grammars

-The grammar rules of a language are taught explicitly. -It is emphasized in the teaching of the grammar of a second language, emphasizing the structure and pronunciation. -When learning the grammar of a second language, it is compared with the native language.

Prescriptive grammar

-It arose because grammarians thought that not all grammar is the same, because purists believed that some varieties of language were better than others. -The objective of this is to tell people what rules to follow and not just describe what they already know. -This grammar does not describe, it prescribes. -Grammar rules were created that were spoken by people of power. -The grammarians wanted to save the English language and it is dynamic.

Descriptive grammar

It is the description that grammarians make about a language. They clearly describe the grammatical rules that exist in the minds of speakers since mental grammar is unconscious in every speaker. They do not teach the rules of a language, they simply describe the basic linguistic knowledge of a language so they can identify when a sentence is poorly structured.

What is Grammar ?

-It is the way in which small elements such as words are combined into larger elements such as sentences. -It is the system and structure of a language that are composed of syntax and morphology, also includes phonology, morphology and parts of words.

Linguistic knowledge

Also called linguistic competence is the deep knowledge about a native language in which the grammar, sounds and sound patterns of the language are applied. When understanding a language, it is easy to create an infinite number of sentences based on a certain number of rules.

What is language

It is the ability of human beings to communicate through spoken and written words, also through signs. This ability distinguishes us from animals. Nowadays, thanks to technology, there is more than one way to communicate with each other, be it by messages, calls or video calls.

The properties of language

Cultural transmission

Process in which a language is transmitted from one generation to the next, we do not inherit a language but we acquire a language by being exposed to it and by interacting with native speakers. Eg A family from the US adopts a Colombian girl it is clear that the infant will tend to learn English and not Spanish.

Duality

-The language is organized in two levels: the first level that consists of the units and the secondary level that consists of the elements and these are combined. -Words with different sounds and meanings are produced. -The phonemes, that is, the sounds do not make sense when we pronounce them as individual sounds, but when we combine them the words acquire meaning.

Onomatopoeia

-Clear connection between the word and the meaning. -The word represents the exact sound. Ex. guau!!! the person imagines a dog.

Arbitrariness

-It is when there is no natural connection between the linguistic forum and its meaning. -When you write a word or see it written you get a mental image, however some words do not fit the objects that describe this is due to a social convention.

Productivity or creativity

-The ability to create / invent new words. -Human ability to manipulate language by creating new words, we do this on social networks depending on the application. -Develop and create unlimited sentences using linguistic knowledge.

DISPLACEMENT

-It allows us to talk about the future, the past tense. -Human language since animals do not communicate with words. -The displacement allows us to refer to abstract things.