LANGUAGE

1
LANGUAGE

• A rule-governed symbol system used to generate
  meaning and define reality.

2
The SIGN

• What we use as a vehicle for expression. This
  could be verbal or nonverbal.
• The sign has two parts
• THE SIGNIFIED
• What exists in the mind of the sender/communicator
  .
• THE SIGNIFIER
• How the idea is expressed through words,
  expressions, texts

3
What is a text?

• Anything you can experience!
• SYMBOLS ARE ARBITRARY
• Like the symbol TREE
• The idea (signified) of a tree does not naturally
  connect with the word (or signifier) therefore
  the word "tree" is arbitrary. "Tree" is also a
• conventional symbol
• because its meaning depends on social agreement.

4
This is what we call the basic components of
Semiotics.

• What else about language?
• It's mental internal
• (Speech is the physical aspect of language)
• It is a body of knowledge that must be learned.

5
We learn the rules-

• Articulation
• Then
• Phonetics
• Then
• Grammar
• Then
• Conversation

6
Heavy Philosophical Section-

• Linguistic determinism
• The theory that language determines thought.
• Linguistic relativity
• People from different language communities
  perceive the world differently.

7
LANGUAGE SUBSYSTEMS

• SEMANTICS
• STUDY OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITS OF MEANING,
  WORD FORMATION AND INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF WORDS.
• SYNTACTICS
• STUDY OF THE STRUCTURE OF PHRASES SENTENCES
  THE RULES THAT GOVERN THE COMBINATION OF WORDS
  INTO
• PERMISSIBLE STRINGS.

8
LANGUAGE SUBSYSTEMS

• PRAGMATICS
• STUDY OF HOW WE USE LANGUAGE TO ACHIEVE GOALS.
• THE SPEECH ACT-THE GOAL THE SPEAKER INTENDS TO
  ACCOMPLISH IT IDENTIFIES THE SPEAKER'S INTENTION.