Dick Hudson Godolphin and Latymer School September 2016 1 Main messages Language can be investigated The findings are very interesting Investigating language is good for you 2 Plan History ID: 587200
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Linguistics for Foreign Languages
Dick HudsonGodolphin and Latymer SchoolSeptember 2016
1Slide2
Main messages
Language can be investigated.The findings are very interesting.Investigating language is good for you.
2Slide3
Plan
HistoryGeography
Psychology
Puzzles
3Slide4
1. History
Languages changeEnglish is changing, e.g.:/r/ disappeared at the end of a syllable, e.g.
farm
/t/ is being replaced by a glottal stop at the end of a syllable.
can I have
is being replaced by
can I get
fun
is turning into an adjective
This is normal and healthy.
Changes spread through contactBut without contact, dialects change in different waysAnd dialects turn into languages.
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Language change gradually makes new languages
English
German
Latin
French
father
Vater [fɑtər]
pater
père
mother
Mutter
mater
mère
brotherBruderfraterfrèresisterSchwestersororsoeur
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spinsterSlide6
Language
families
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2. Geography
Languages influence each otherif they’re near each other, so there are many bilingual speakers
if one has high status.
For example, consider the uvular r [R]
made by vibrating your uvula
contrasting with tongue-tip [r]
or English [ɹ]
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The geography of [R]
One theory:
It started in 18
th
-
century Paris
It gained prestige from Paris and the court.
It spread in upper-class circles in
France
.
But also into Germany, Holland and Scandinavia.
And the edge of Italy.
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Languages borrow
soundsGerman etc < French: uvular [R]French < German, English, Dutch:
[ə]
words
omelette, tapas, spaghetti, .....
grammar
English < French/Latin:
who
etc interrogative > relative pronoun
French < English/German: question by subject-verb inversion
German < French?: simple past > ‘have/be’ + participle
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Two kinds of change
Very very slow change across generationsChildren tend to speak just like their parentsLanguage is remarkably stable
Primary children are very conservative, e.g. playground games and language
Fast change:
borrowing
teen-age ‘slang’
technology
Language is remarkably flexible
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English
From Proto-Indo-European to us
*
g
w
e:n
‘woman’
γυνή
/gyne:/
‘woman’
cwen
‘woman’queengynaecologistmisogyny-3,500-500
+600
+2,000
PIE
Greek
guessed
0
generations
120
160
200
borrowed
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3. Psychology
Languages only exist in people’s mindsnot in texts – these are just evidencenot in books (dictionaries, grammars) – these are just descriptions
So they provide a window into their speakers’ minds:
local: how speakers of that language think.
global: how people think.
Different languages make people think differently at least when communicating.
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Different languages - different messages
Translate into French (or Spanish):
He walked into the room
Not:
Il a marché dans la chambre
.
But:
Il est entré dans la chambre (en marchant)
.
manner of movement
direction of movement
direction
of movementmanner of movement13Slide14
What about German?
Er ist in die Kammer hinein/herein gelaufen
.
He is
into
the room
thither/hither
in run/walked.
manner in verb
basic
contrast = with/without vehicledirection in obligatory particle hin/herbasic contrast = from/to here
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Languages are different
English subordinates direction to manner
French
subordinates manner to direction
German
is like English, but
direction:
'hither' or 'thither'?
manner: with/without vehicle?
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The routes of English
Directions are grammatically optionalBut we often define the route.I went
up
to Edinburgh yesterday.
I’m going
over
to Joe’s tonight.
I went
in
to Oxford Circus, then
out to Harrow.I’m travelling all the way through to Heathrow.Why do we bother?How do we decide how to define our route?
Why ‘up’ to Edinburgh?
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Grammar
German, English and French all form some questions by putting the finite V(erb) before S(ubject)BUT the rules are different.
German: any V, any S
Schläft Paul?
‘Sleeps Paul?’
English: only auxiliary V, any S
Does Paul sleep?
(Not: *
Sleeps Paul
?)
French: Any V, only pronoun SPaul dort-il? (Not: *Dort Paul?)
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Grammar in psychology
Rules of grammar really matter to native speakers! If you don’t follow them, you’re not a native.However rebellious you are, you toe the grammatical line!
Nobody messes with irregular verbs.
The rules vary from language to language.
and they don’t necessarily ‘make sense’!
They can create grammatical gaps:
He is.
He is not.
He isn’t.
You are.
You are not.
You aren’t.
I am.
I am not.?18Slide19
4. Puzzles
Haiti (French) creoleWhat’s going on?
the
Welcome to the UK Linguistics Olympiad!
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Thinking analytically
A language is a complex system.Maybe the most complex system in the universe???Language is the most important human invention BY FAR!
A superb tool for communication.
When you think about a language, you’re thinking analytically:
How does this system work?
Thinking analytically about language is good for:
y
our understanding of how this tool works.
your ability to think about complex systems.
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So what?
Your target language isn’t just a useful tool – it’s interesting!Try to understand it as a system:how it works.
how it developed.
how it’s similar to English and how it’s different.
Then
you’ll use the tool better.
you’ll be able to learn other languages better.
you’ll be able to think better.
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