Intro.pps/pdf - University of Waterlooraha/306a_web/Intro_History.pdf · Intro.pps/pdf English 306A; Harris Language properties ... Charles Hockett’s ‘Design Features ... Different

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English 306A; Harris

Intro.pps/pdf


Language properties

ParityUniversalityMutabilityTacitnessDisplacementDualityProductivity (creativity)


Parity

All languages are equal.

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Universality

All grammars share some basic properties.•Words

• Nouns• Verbs

•Sentences• Assertions• Questions

•Semantic roles• Agents• Patients• Locations


Mutability

Languages change.

⇒ cool ⇒ neat ⇒ groovy ⇒ far-out ⇒ radical ⇒ cool ⇒


Tacitness

A great deal ofgrammaticalknowledge is tacitknowledge.

[p] vs [ph] vs [p¬]

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Charles Hockett’s ‘Design Features’

There is...a sense in which[productivity],displacement, andduality...can be regardedas the crucial, or nuclear,or central properties ofhuman language.


Displacement

Messages can refer tothings remote in timeand space, or both,from the site of thecommunication.


Duality of patterning

At every level: elements and combinatorics•Sounds combine into syllables and morphemes•Morphemes combine into words•Words combine into phrases and sentences•Sentences combine into

turns or paragraphs•Turns combine into

conversations•Paragraphs combine into

texts

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Elements + combinatorics =

Language


Language properties

ParityUniversalityMutabilityTacitnessDisplacementDualityProductivity (creativity)


Signs

Meaning conveyances

• Symbolic

• Iconic

• Indexical

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Signs

Meaning conveyances

• Symbolic

• Iconic

• Indexical


Signs

Meaning conveyances

• Symbolic

• Iconic

• Indexical


Signs

Meaning conveyances

• Symbolic

• Iconic

• Indexical

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Mutability

Historical linguistics

ChangesLinguistic study• Reconstruction• Language families

Origins


History of English

greaser far outdude outasitekeen rilly

You are here Homo Heidelbergensis 1


History of English

greaser far outdude outasitekeen rilly

Aetalects!


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History of English

night coughknight nameknee mayhaps


Early modern EnglishI am no orator, as Brutus is;But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,That love my friend; and that they know full wellThat gave me public leave to speak of him:For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,To stir men's blood

Julius Caesar, c1599



Middle English (London)Whan that Aprill, with his shoures sooteThe droghte of March hath perced to the rooteAnd bathed every veyne in swich licour,Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

...Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages

The Canterbury Tales, c1380


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Middle English (Northumberland)

Si†en †e sege and †e assaut watz sesed at Troye,†e bor° brittened and brent to bronde and askez,†e tulk †at †e trammes of tresoun †er wro°tWatz tried for his tricherie, †e trewest on erthe

The Green Knight, c1380






Regiolects!






Regiolects!Sociolects!


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Sociolects!

Ethnolects!

Regiolects!



Language variation

Idiolects!


Language variation

Hey, who youcallin’ an idiolect,dorkosaurus?

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Language variationDifferent persons growing up in the same language arelike different bushes trimmed and trained to take theshape of identical elephants. The anatomical details oftwigs and branches will fulfill the elephantine formdifferently from bush to bush, but the overalloutward results are alike.


Language variationDifferent persons growing up in the same language arelike different bushes trimmed and trained to take theshape of identical elephants. The anatomical details oftwigs and branches will fulfill the elephantine formdifferently from bush to bush, but the overalloutward results are alike.

W.V.O. Quine


Old English (aka Anglo-Saxon)

Nu sculon herigean heofonrices weard,meotodes meahte, and his modge†anc,weorc wuldorfæder, swa he wundra gehwæs,ece drihten, or onstealde.

Caedmon’s hymn, c670


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1066


1066

Substratum (under-level)Germanic (Angles, Saxons etc.)

king, law, deer, cow, cock,piss, …

Superstratum (over-level)Latinate (Norman French)

monarch, justice, venison,beef, penis, urinate, …


1066

Substratum (under-level)Germanic (Angles, Saxons etc.)

king, law, deer, cow, cock,piss, …

Superstratum (over-level)Latinate (Norman French)

monarch, justice, venison,beef, penis, urinate, …

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Mutability

Language change

Internal(isolation, fashion,

prestige, …)

External(trade, war,

imperialism, …)


Internal(isolation, fashion,

prestige, …)

External(trade, war,

imperialism, …)

PhonologicalMorphologicalLexicalSyntacticSemantic

Mutability

Language change


What changes

Modern English

dog

Middle Englishhound

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What changes: radial networks


Radial networks

A networkwith adefiningcentre(usuallycalled “theprototype”of thenetwork)


Changes in a semantic radial networkhyponym / hypernym shifts

Modern Englishdog

… poodle hound spaniel …

Toy, French, … Grey, Blood, … Springer, Cocker, …

Middle Englishhound

… dog poodle spaniel …

Mastiff, Basset, … Toy, French, … Springer, Cocker, …

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Middle Englishhound



hyponym and hypernym

hyponym

hypernym hyponym

hypernym


Modern Englishdog


Toy, French, … Grey, Blood, … Springer, Cocker, …hyponym

hypernymhyponym

hypernym

hyponym and hypernym


Modern Englishdog



Middle Englishhound




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Modern Englishdog



Middle Englishhound





Modern Englishdog



Middle Englishhound





Shrinkage of a semantic radial networkpolysemy —> monosemy

Mete1. a. Any comestible.! b. Solid comestibles.2. Edible portions of

fruits, nuts, eggs, ….3. Animal flesh for food.4. A meal.

Meat

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Mete1. a. Any comestible.! b. Solid comestibles.2. Edible portions of

fruits, nuts, eggs, ….3. Animal flesh for food.4. A meal.

Meat‘many-meaning’ —> ‘single-meaning’

Shrinkage of a semantic radial networkpolysemy —> monosemy


Mutability

SubtotalHistory of English• Periods• Events

Pressures to change• Internal/external• Aeta-, regio-, socio-, ethno-lects

Objects of change• Individual elements• Radial networks


Objects of change• Individual elements• Radial networks

Language families• Indo-European• Pre-Indo-European

Origins• Lexical theories• Language theories

Writing systems• Concept-to-sound migration

Origins and varieties of languages

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Philology

• Looking at texts fornoteworthysignifier/signifiedlinkages

• Contrast and compare


Philology

Language families

Englishfathermotherbrothersisterkingmilkmeat

GermanVaterMutterBruder

SchwesterKönigMilchFleisch


Language families

English German Latin SanskritModern Oldfather faeder Vater pater pitarmother modor Mutter mater matarfish fisc Fisch pisces patan


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Grimm’s law


Proto-Germanic



Grimm’s law


Proto-Germanic


hypothetical, reconstructedlanguage


Grimm’s law


Germanic family


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Language families


Germanic IndicItalicFamilies

Philo-logicalevidence



Proto-Indo-European (*PIE)






Indo-European





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Indo-European family


Indo-European family


Bow-wow theory

Language arose fromonomatopoeia

Making noises to representelements in the environment:animals, rain, expulsive gas,…


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Pooh-pooh theory(AKA the ouch theory)

Language arose fromspontaneous emotionalnoises

Sighs, moans, cries,ejections of surprise, fear,delight, …



Yo-he-ho theory

Language arose inmuscular and rhythmicefforts accompanyinggroup work

Gathering, distributing,distance-pursuit of prey, …



Bow-wow-pooh-pooh-yo-he-hotheories

• Lexical theories• Index-to-icon-to-symbol

theories• Not mutually exclusive

(Only Yo-he-ho includesrhythm, sequence,structure)

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Bow-wow-pooh-pooh-yo-he-hotheories

Onomasiologicalmigration theories

Index-to-icon-to-symbol


Neuron-packing “theory”

•Neural-density, big-bang theory• Non-lexical• Non-social


Throwing madonna theory

• Nursing (left-side)• Motor/linguistic

sequencing• Structural• Non-lexical• Piggy-backing theory


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Yadda-yadda-yadda theory

Language is verbalgrooming

human tribes too big,social bonds too intricate,to manage themphysically

Social theory, non-lexical



Historical linguisticsLanguages change over time• external (war, imperialism, trade, …)• internal (fashion, prestige, isolation, …)

Categorical changes• radial networks (phonological, lexical, …)

Genealogical relationships• language families• reconstructed proto-languages

Language origins• lots of guesses, no clear solutions• Lexical and non-lexical variants

Documents

Intro.pps/pdf - University of Waterlooraha/306a_web/Intro_History.pdf · Intro.pps/pdf English 306A; Harris Language properties ... Charles Hockett’s ‘Design Features ... Different