lingwistyka

(S) ### THE ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE

Jaspersen/Quotation, p. 1. Aussie tape

1.    The Divine Source: Genesis/Adam, also: Sarasvati

2.    experiments: if the use is spontaneous, then lg must be God-given

3.    Natural source (Russeąu): cu-ckoo...ouch...yo-heave-ho. . .

4.    The oral-gesture source:(a)lg.but no mime (b)mime but no lg

5.    Physiological adaptation: humans vs. monkeys (vocal mechanisams, lateralisation of human brain)

© Speech and writing o Functions of language:

-    interactional (to interact socially/emotionally)

-    transactional (to communicate information/knowledge)

# The development of writing:

-    cave drawings (20000), tokens (early book-keeping: 10000)

-    alphabetic script can be only traced back to inscriptions 3000 yrs back

-    pictograms^O^ - ideograms O

-    Egypt (house) ni

- China (river) JH

- ideogram (for water)    ===> logogram /M

^*vvs

abstractin^away from reality Logograms (Sumerians: 5000-6000 yrs back)

-    cuneiform writing on soft clay tablets 4 the relationship between the written * form and the object is arbitrary

Rebus Writing:    <j$ uXu*4uftlt(-»2 ©UU y

Syllabic writing *(Cherokee) (ho)IB (sa)13" (ge)jL see pp. 12/13    towards alphabetic writing

Written English and spelling conventions:

@ ### THE PROPERTIES OF LANGUAGE

(informative vs. communicative)(cf. paralanguage vs. language) >»> DESIGN FEATURES:

"bipeds believe to be unique to their linguistic system"

(a)    DISPLACEMENT: the park... yesteraday...

V-»i

bcttr*-^h.Vvt. f\

V- 10

(b)    ARBITRARINESS:    (no natural connection)

you cannot determine the meaning from shape:

(c)    ICONICITY: form mimics meaning:    (look/fall/tall)(onom.

(d)    PRODQCTIVITY: novel utterances (creativity/openness)

(e)    CULTURAL TRANSMISSION:

(you acąuire lg in a culture and not from genes) cf. Chinese speakers of Am. English

Strona 1