A Short Introduction to the Study of Language; Ellen Thompson

Ellen Thompson [+–]

Florida International University

Ellen Thompson is Associate Professor of Linguistics at Florida International University in Miami.

A Short Introduction to the Study of Language provides an accessible and up-to-date invitation to key concepts of modern language study. Readers gain awareness of the scientific approach to language through examination of varied topics of current research interest. The book explores the following issues: How are young children, who have limited general cognitive capability, able to automatically pick up and use any language that is in their environment, quickly, easily and without effort? Do other animals have language – what about the complex communication systems of apes, bees and cephalods? What happens when an individual is raised in an environment in which they are not exposed to language? Are some languages simpler than others – do some languages lack grammar? Is English getting worse over time, and is there one “correct” way to speak English?

This book introduces readers to work that linguists are engaged in today which explores these questions, and sheds light on a number of widespread myths and misconceptions about language.

Preliminaries

Preface [+–] xi

A Short Introduction to the Study of Language provides an accessible and up-to-date invitation to key concepts of modern language study. Readers gain awareness of the scientific approach to language through examination of varied topics of current research interest. The book explores the following issues: How are young children, who have limited general cognitive capability, able to automatically pick up and use any language that is in their environment, quickly, easily and without effort? Do other animals have language – what about the complex communication systems of apes, bees and cephalods? What happens when an individual is raised in an environment in which they are not exposed to language? Are some languages simpler than others – do some languages lack grammar? Is English getting worse over time, and is there one “correct” way to speak English? This book introduces readers to work that linguists are engaged in today which explores these questions, and sheds light on a number of widespread myths and misconceptions about language.

Chapter 1

What is Language? [+–] 1-16

1 Introduction 2 Creativity of Human Language 3 Infinite Capacity of Language 4 The Rules of English Grammar 5 Descriptive versus Prescriptive Grammar 5.1 Prescriptive Rules of English Grammar Don’t end a sentence with a preposition Don’t use double negatives Don’t split infinitives 6 Is Colloquial English “sloppy”? 6.1 Expletive Infixation in English 7 Language Rules are Unconscious References Suggested Materials

Chapter 2

Language and Other Animal Communication Systems [+–] 17-31

1 Introduction 2 What makes Human Language Special? 2.1 Defining Properties of Human Language 2.2 Is Recursion the Key to Human Language? 3 Properties of Animal Communication Systems 3.1 Forms of animal communication Chemical signals Visual signals Sounds Touch Smell Posture Facial gestures 4 Animal Communication Systems 4.1 Bee dances Experiments on Bee Communication Karl von Frisch Distinct Bee Dances 4.2 Birdsong Experiments on Birdsong 4.3 Vervet Alarm Calls 4.4 Cephalopods 5 Conclusion References Suggested Materials

Chapter 3

Teaching Human Language to Apes [+–] 32-40

1 Introduction 2 Cautionary Tale – Hans the Horse 3 Teaching Language to Apes 3.1 Ape Communication in the Wild Bonnet Macaque Goeldi’s Monkey Gibbons Orangutans Chimpanzees 3.2 Experiments with Apes Gua Vicki Washoe Nim Chimpsky Lana Sarah 5 Evaluating Ape Language Experiments References Suggested Materials

Chapter 4

Language Learning [+–] 41-65

1 Introduction 2 Language Games 2.1 Rules of Pig Latin 3 Parental Input 3.1 Overt Teaching 3.2 Indirect Teaching Motherese Questions about Motherese 4 The Role of Imitation and Repetition 5 Universals in Language Acquisition 6 Stages of Acquisition 6.1 Speech is Special Vocalization Cooing Vocal Play Babbling One-word Stage Two-word Stage Telegraphic Stage Multi-word Stage 7 Acquisition of Grammatical Markers 8 The Acquisition of Negation 9 Production versus Perception 10 Conclusion References Suggested Materials

Chapter 5

Experiments in Language Acquisition [+–] 66-83

1 Introduction 2 Infants Distinguish All Speech Sounds 3 Experimental Methods in Language Acquisition 3.1 High-amplitutude Sucking Procedure (HAS) 3.2 Preferential Looking Technique 3.3 Head-turn Preference Procedure How Children Learn Words 4 Second Language Acquisition 4.1 Second Language Learning of the Sound System 4.2 Second Language Learning of Structure 4.2.1 Grammaticality Judgment Task 4.2.2 Sentence-Matching Experiment 5 Conclusion References Suggested Materials

Chapter 6

Abnormal Language [+–] 84-97

1 Introduction 2 Language and the Brain 2.1 Brain Scans 2.2 Compound Words in the Brain 3 Aphasia 3.1 Broca’s Aphasia 3.2 Wernicke’s Aphasia 4 Specific Language Impairment (SLI) 5 Stuttering 6 Language Isolation 6.1 Genie 6.2 Chelsea 7 A Language Savant 8 Conclusion References Suggested Materials

Chapter 7

Bilingualism [+–] 98-113

1 Introduction 2 Models of Bilingualism 2.1 Unitary Language System Hypothesis Three Stages of Bilingual Development Language Mixing 2.2 Independent Development Hypothesis 3 Code-Switching 3.1 Code-switching is Rule-governed 3.2 Why do Bilinguals Code-switch? Changing the Topic Marking Quotations Follow the Leader Checking Listeners’ Opinion Changing the Story Structure 4. Conclusion References Suggested Materials

Chapter 8

Are there Primitive Languages? [+–] 114-123

1 Introduction 2 Written and Spoken Languages 2.1 Language ≠ Written Form 3 Expression of Ideas in Different Languages 3.1 Building Words and Sentences in English and Turkish 3.2 Differences in Language Complexity 4 Do All Languages have Grammar? 4.1 No Language has Free Word Order 4.2 Click Consonants English Click Consonants 5 Conclusion References Suggested Materials

Chapter 9

Non-Standard Dialects [+–] 124-137

1 Introduction 2 Register 3 Standard and Non-Standard English 3.1 Pronunciation of “r” 4 African-American English Vernacular 4.1 Grammatical Patterns of AAEV Null “be” Habitual Invariant “be” Intensive ‘Steady’ Present Relevance ‘bin’ form Stressed ‘bin’ form Empty ‘it’ Negative Structures in AAEV Double Negatives Negative Inversion 4.2 The Sound Patterns of AAEV Non-word-initial “th” Final Consonant Deletion 5 Conclusion References Suggested Materials

End Matter

References [+–] 138-148

Index [+–] 149-155

Reviews

A compendious, useful guide to fundamental concepts in the scientific study of language. It’s a very welcome addition to the field and it would be an ideal textbook for any course that is an introduction to linguistics.
Professor Michael Aceto, East Carolina University

An intellectually stimulating and accessible introduction to the main concepts in modern language study. A wonderful textbook for an undergraduate Introduction to Language course.
Professor Karen Zagona, University of Washington

A clearly-written, easy-to-understand introduction to key concepts in linguistics. It would be a good choice for the inquisitive independent reader, for background reading for an introductory linguistics course, or as an assigned text for a course in which the instructor would like to introduce these concepts yet have space to bring in additional texts, tasks, and activities.
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A Short Introduction to the Study of Language

Ellen Thompson [+–]

Florida International University

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