Notes/Questions
1. Can you describe acquire versus
learning a language?
Introduce Langauge (Unit 1) Background Knowledge page 3-19 (20 mins)
1. Many aspects of acquiring a language we may simply be unaware
of. Acquire versus learning a language.
2. What is language/what does it mean
to know a language?
2. Linguistic Knowledge
3. What is one thing we all do when we
come together
3.
4. Why would a French speaker
pronounce this and that as zis and zat?
Why would a native English
Speaker have difficulty
pronouncing Nkrumah and
Xnoskribnwztl?
4. Knowledge of the Sound System
5. Is ‘boy’ a word? Is ‘moy’ a word? Is
‘toy’ a word? How do you know?
5. Knowledge of words
6. Can you draw a picture of a
house/tree and label it? What is
linguistically involved in this process?
6.
7. What is Onomatopoeic?
Can you give an example?
Is this the same in every language?
7. Onomatopoeic
8. Which is finite:
Words or Sentences?
How do you know?
8.
9. Sounds form _____________
Words form _______________
Phrases form _____________
9. The Creativity of Linguistic Knowledge
10. How do you know the difference in
Sentences and Nonsentences?
10. Knowledge of Sentences and Nonsentences
11. Linguistic Competence =
11. Linguistic Knowledge: Linguistic Competence and Performance
Relation of Form and Meaning
Linguistic Performance =
12. Read through the notes on Descriptive
12. Descriptive Grammars
1
and Prescriptive Grammars 12 & 13.
While both have some good points,
you must pick one side to defend…
13.
14. Why or what is different about
learning a second language than a first
language?
15. Universal Grammar =
Phonology – rules for combining sounds into words, morphology =rules of
word formation, syntax=rules for combining words into phrases and
phrases into sentences, semantics=rules for assigning meaning
Descriptive Grammar = It does not tell you how you should speak; it
describes your basic linguistic knowledge.
No language or variety of a language is superior to any other in a linguistic
sense. Every grammar is equally complex, logical and capable of producing
an infinite set of sentences to express any thought.
There are differences in language, but there is enough shared knowledge
to make it possible to communicate
13. Prescriptive Grammars
Any fool can make a rule, and every fool will mind it…Thoreau, 1860
Not all grammarians, past or present, share the view that all grammars are
equal. Language “purists” of all ages believe that some versions of a
language are better than others, that there are certain “correct” forms that
all educated people should use in speaking and writing, and that language
change is corruption. This is prescribing rather than describing language.
As lower class wanted to become upper class publications of prescriptive
grammars came about.
“This is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put.” Winston
Churchill’s response to the “rule” against ending a sentence with a
preposition.
All languages are rule governed whether spoken by rich or poor, powerful
or weak, learned or illiterate. Grammars and usages of particular groups in
society may be dominant for social and political reasons, but from a
linguistic (scientific) perspective thy are neither superior nor inferior to the
grammars and usages of less prestigious members of society. It is
undeniable that the standard dialect may indeed be a better dialect for
someone wishing to obtain a particular job or achieve a position of social
prestige. In a society where “linguistic profiling” is used to discriminate
against speakers of a minority dialect, it may behoove those speakers to
learn the prestige dialect rather than wait for social change.
Writing is not acquired naturally through simple exposure to others
speaking the language, but must be taught. Writing follows certain
prescriptive rules of grammar, usage, and style that the spoken language
does not, and is subject to little, if any dialectal variation.
14. Teaching Grammars
15. Language Universals
Particular grammar =
16. Describe how your parents taught you
the rules of grammar as you started to
speak, but before you started school?
How frequent did your parents give
you direct grammar lessons?
16. The Development of Grammar
2
Chapters 6
Phonetics Chapter 6 – What is phonetics? page 229-234
Objective: Discuss the speech sounds the human vocal tract is designed to
make, how they are produced and how they may be classified.
1. What is Phonetics?
1. Phonetics:
2. What are 2 words you can make
with b, s and u?
2.
3. Read the following word:
Key pout
3. (relaxed pronunciation) .
4. Write out the words for the
underlined words.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VII.
IX.
4. Read the following:
5.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
I have acoupla socks 'round here somewhere.
Ain'tcha done yet?
Algo next.
D'jeat yet?
F'yno how to do that problem, then just do it.
Why jask?
Wassamatta wit'chu?
Whataya doin'?
You didn't bring your truck wijyadidja?
5. It is important to know what an individual sound is, and how each sound is
different.
It can be difficult to identify how sounds differ because when we speak,
the sounds seem to run together and it is not at all obvious where one
sound ends and the next begins.
Fortunately when we know the language we hear the individual sounds in
our minds ear and are able to make sense of them.
Mother: hold on / 2 year old: I’m holing don – not know word breaks
6. Knowing there are individual
sounds, and these sounds run
together, how would you change
to improve instruction.
6. Implications for you as a teacher:
7. Why do speakers of other
languages always speak so fast?
7.
8. What are similarities and
differences between all language?
8. Language Distance:
3
9. Acoustic phonetics
Auditory phonetics
9.
Acoustic phonetics
Auditory phonetics – how listeners perceive sounds.
10. Articulatory phonetics
10. Articulatory phonetics – the concern of Ch 6 – study of how the vocal tract
produces the language
11. * Orthogrpahy –
11. Orthography –
12. Phonetics
12. Phonetics is a science –
Example: Did he believe that Ceasar could see the people seize the seas?
i.
The same sound is represented by: ae, ee eo, ei
ii.
Combination of letters represents one sounds = shoot, character,
iii.
Some letters have no sound (silent letters) knot, gnaw, lamb
autumn, sword
13. Why was the International
Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) created?
14. P. 234 Read the paragraph in your
group – then report back to the
whole class… (In goups of 4 one
person in each group take a
paragraph – then all 1s come to
the front)
13. One sound one symbol correspondence.
 International Phonetic Alphabet IPA – was created in 1888 to symbolize
the sounds of all languages. It uses both ordinary alphabet and invented
symbols. Each character of the alphabet had exactly one value across all of
the world’s languages.
14. P. 234 – jigsaw the paragraphs and have someone summarize
4