The Origins of Language

 Chapter 6: Morphology Morphology The type of exercise we have just performed is an example of investigating basic formsin language, known as morphology. This term, which literally means “the study of forms,” Morphemes English word forms such as talks, talker, talked and talking must consist of one element talk, and the other four elements -s, -er, -ed and -ing. All these elements are described as morphemes. Free and Bound Morphemes - Free morphemes that can stand by themselves as single words   Ex: new, tour - Bound morphemes, which are those forms that cannot normally stand alone and are typically attached to another form, exemplified as re-, -ist, -ed, -s. Lexical and Functional Morphemes - Set of ordinary nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs that carry the “content”  and “open” class of word called lexical morphemes. - Articles, conjunctions, prepositions and pronouns described as a “closed” class of words. Derivational Morphemes The...

  Chapter 5 Word Formation Neologisms In 1900 J. Murray Spangler, who invented an electric suction sweeper did not popular. However it was popular under the world "hoover". This shows our ability to quickly recognize new words. Etymology The study of the origin and history of a word is known as its etymology,Greek and Latin are the sources of many English words,often providing alternative ways to describe things, such as mono- from Greek (mono-cycle) and uni- from Latin (uni-cycle). Borrowing One of the most common sources of new words in English is the process simply labeled borrowing, that is, the taking over of words from other languages. Loan-translatio n A special type of borrowing is described as loan-translation,  is a direct translation of the elements of a word into the borrowing language. Ex: French term gratte-ciel   translates as “scrape-sky,”       The Dutch wolkenkrabber (“cloud scratcher”) or the German Wolkenkratzer ...

  CHAPTER 4: THE SOUND PATTERNS OF LANGUAGE   Phonology Phonology is essentially the description of the systems and patterns of speech sounds in a language Phonemes Phonemes are the basic sound units in a language that distinguish meaning Ex: fine, vine  /f/ voiceless fricative  /v/ voiced fricative  Natural Classes (+) if present  a minus (−) if absent For instance : /p/ is described as [−voice, +bilabial, +stop]                       /k/ is [−voice, +velar, +stop] Phones and Allophones - P honeme is the abstract unit or sound type (“in the mind”) - When these phones are variations of the same phoneme, they are called allophones Complementary Distribution When allophones and phoneme used in different places in words, they are said to be in complementary distribution Minimal Pairs and Sets When two  words such as fan and van are identical in form except for a contrast in one phoneme, occurring...

  Chapter 3:  The Sounds of Language Phonetics Phonetics is the study of speech sounds in language include with 3 parts: the articulation (how sounds are made) , acoustic properties (physical properties of speech waves) and auditory perception (perception of speech sounds through the ear) . Consonants Consonants are speech sounds produced by obstructing or constricting airflow in the vocal tract. T hree key features are considered: voiced/voiceless distinction, place of articulation, and manner of articulation. Voiced and Voiceless Sounds -  Voiceless sounds: w hen the vocal folds are spread apart, the air from the lungs passes between them  with no obstruction, producing. - Voiced sounds: w hen the vocal folds are drawn together, the air from the lungs repeatedly pushes  them apart as it passes through, with a vibration effect, producing. Place of Articulation When producing speech, air passes through the vocal tract via the pharynx, then exits through the mo...

Chapter 1:The Origins of Language Darwin proposed that early humans used music and rhythm before language to express emotions. Besides, spoken language must have developed between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago, well before written language (about 5,000 years ago). The Divine Source Human infants grow up without hearing any language, they will use the original God-given language. In the Bible, God created Adam, and whatever name Adam gave every living thing became the name of that thing. Historical accounts, like Pharaoh Psammetichus and later experiments by King James IV and Emperor Akbar, did not confirm a divine origin for language. Real-world cases of isolated children, like Victor and Genie, show that language does not develop spontaneously without exposure. The Natural Sound Source A quite different view of the beginnings of language is based on the concept of natural sounds. The human auditory system is already functioning before birth. The “bow-wow” theory The "bow-wow...