Languages vary widely but not without limit. The central goal of linguistics is to describe the diversity of human languages and explain the constraints on that diversity. Generative linguists following Chomsky have claimed that linguistic diversity must be constrained by innate parameters that are set as a child learns a language. In contrast, other linguists following Greenberg have claimed that there are statistical tendencies for co-occurrence of traits reflecting universal systems biases, rather than absolute constraints or parametric variation. Here we use computational phylogenetic methods to address the nature of constrains on linguistic diversity in an evolutionary framework. First, contrary to the generative account of parameter setting, …show more content…
There are about 7,000 extant languages, some with complex patterns of word formation, others with simple words only, some with the verb at the beginning of the sentence, some in the middle, and some at the end. Understanding this diversity and the systemic constraints on it is the central goal of linguistics. The generative approach to linguistic variation has held that linguistic diversity linguistic diversity can be explained by changes in parameter settings. Each of these parameters controls a number of specific linguistic traits. For example, the setting 'heads first ' will cause a language both to place verbs before objects ("kick the ball") and prepositions before nouns ("into the goal"). According to this account, language change occurs when child learners simplify or regularise by choosing parameter settings other than those of the parental generation. Across a few generations such changes might work through a population, effecting language change across all the associated traits. Language change should therefore be relatively fast, and the traits set by one parameter mush …show more content…
However, efforts to obtain a statistically independent sample of languages confront several practical problems. First, our knowledge of language relationships is incomplete: specialists disagree about high level grouping of languages and many languages are only tentatively assigned to language families. Second, a few large language families contain the bulk of global linguistic variations, making sampling purely from unrelated languages impractical. Some balance of related, unrelated and already distributed languages has usually been aimed for in
For this summary I watched a video called Voices of the World: The Extinction of Language and Linguistic Diversity. The video starts off with how people believe that there are about 6, 000 languages. David Crystal talks about how with all these different languages half of them are endangered of becoming extinct. Each different language offers a different point of view of the world and culture. He said that if different languages are lost then “we lose the meaning what is it to be human.”
...e: Pennsylvania German evidence for the matrix language turnover hypothesis. Language in Society, 25(4), 493-514.
Comparative genomics in chimpanzees is unravelling how this genetic capacity for human language evolved. Human syntactic facilities, particularly our construction of infinite semantics from finite grammar, suggests a uniquely human mechanism deriving from our genotype (Di Sciullo et. al 2010). FOXP2 revealed just two amino acid differences between humans and chimpanzees along with neurological differences in gene expression of motor-speech circuitry (Spiteri et. al 2007). This posits evidence for positive selection on FOXP2 mutations as the reason for the gene’s accelerated evolution in recent evolutionary history, and for its role in computing uniquely human grammars (S...
Creole exceptionalism is comprised of several enduring hypotheses regarding Creole languages in which they are regarded as constituting “a sui generis class on phylogenetic and/or structuralgrounds” (De Graf, 2014, p. 233), For instance, it has been hypothesized that creoles are “degenerate offshoots” of their European predecessors (DeGraf, 2014, p. 233). There are also creoles with ‘special hybrids” with distinctive Genealogy (DeGraf, 2014, p. 233). Also, creoles arethe only modern languages that have not evolved in a normal manner relative to other languages simply because they do not have structurallyfull-fledged predecessors. Lastly, the pidgin-to-creole transition “recapitulates the transition from pre-human protolanguage to human language” (DeGraf, 2014, p.
It has long been debated whether or not humans are the only species that have evolved and are advanced enough to cultivate a complex language system. While it has been argued that other species do indeed have their own inherent methods of communication, none so far have exhibited sign of a language system as complex and structural as that of humans. Apes have exhibited their own method of language through ‘call systems,’ a limited number of sounds produced when certain stimuli are encountered. But while they are capable of their own language, it is another question entirely of whether they are capable of human language, which is characterized by its inherent qualities of displacement, arbitrariness, productivity, discreteness, duality and cultural transmission (Nature of Language, p. 17-18).
Next, we shall evaluate the key features of language which are; communicative, arbitrary, structured, generative, and dynamic. Communicative, language can allow one to interact with another. According to Willingham (2007), the bond found with the elements in language and what they mean is arbitrary. The way language is set up shows how the symbols are not arbitrary. The set up language shows precisely how intricate it can be. Generative, one is able to build countless number of meanings from words. Dynamic, language never stays the same, therefore it can be known as sporadic. According to Willingham (2007), changes are being made all the time as new words get added and as the ways of grammar change. These elements can be quite critical when it comes to language.
Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. M. (2006). How languages are learned (3rd ed.). Oxford [england: Oxford University Press.
Child development language is a process by which children come to communicate and understand language during early childhood. This usually occurs from birth up to the age of five. The rate of development is usually fast during this period. However, the pace and age of language development vary greatly among children. Thus, the language development of a child is usually compared with norms rather than with other individual children. It is scientifically proven that development of girls language is usually at a faster rate than that of boys. (Berk, 2010) In other terms language development is also a crucial factor that reflects the growth and maturation of the brain. However, this development usually retards after the age of five making it very difficult for most children to continue learning language. There are two major types of language development in children. These include referential and expressive language development styles. In referential language development, children often first speak single words and then join the words together, first into –word sentences and then into th...
Among the major social determinants of linguistic variation, gender is widely considered to be one of the most significant ones. According to research on a range of linguistic features, gender may even be the dominant factor.
We need to be aware of the diversity in the classroom. Cultural diversity includes: bi-racial, adoptive, immigrant, gay, and step-families. It is a large majority of the students today even in my generation. Focusing on making a balanced curriculum that exposes the students to all of these different backgrounds is very important. I know that it is likely that a teacher will not be able to cater to every student, but it is important to involve each of them. There is a large percentage of students that have dropped out due to the lack of having a connection with the curriculum. It is frustrating that we are lacking progress in our schools to help these children connect when studies show that each cultural group will soon be equal in numbers. We need to form a better
Language, according to Owens (2012, p. 6), “can be defined as a socially shared code or conventional system for representing concepts through the use of arbitrary symbols and rule-governed combinations of those symbols”. Language is thought to be a complex system; however, it can be broken down into three different components. These three components consist of content, form, and use. Within these three components, language has five main components which includes semantics, morphology, phonology, syntax, and pragmatics (Owens, 2012, p. 18).
Further in this term-paper I am going to describe the stages in child language acquistion starting from the very birth of an infant till the onset of puberty.
...mes to them, the perception of language is a crucial factor as well as their educational or developmental (in children) stage. Individuals have a different perception of the importance of language features. Some don’t consider the derived words as the most important part of the speech, others don’t appreciate rhythm. Many of the learners are sometimes trying to apply the knowledge of their mother language into the one they are learning. In some cases, this might be beneficial, although most of the time it is only useful in vocabulary or certain specific words. Even though French and English share some of the features as well as practices used in word formation, it is always entirely up to the learner how much progress he can make. Every aspect of language, including morphology is dependent on practicing and appreciation of the importance of it in the communication.
The standard language is often viewed and defined through stages in its development. Such stages can, first of all, be described by juxtaposing them to historical developments of societies, as part of a broader history of the society or the language (e.g. Migliorini, 1984 and Chaurand, 1999:11). Another approach of development stages is looking at the standardisation of the language itself (Ferguson, 1968; Haugen, 1966; 1972:252; Leith 1983; Joseph, 1987; Milroy & Milroy, 1987; and Thomas, 1991; Van der Wal and Van Bree, 2008). A more contemporary and synchronic approach to defining standard languages is looking at the general qualities that the language has developed, often including the prototypical speakers to go with these qualities (e.g. Jespersen, 1925; Stewart, 1968:533-539; Finegan, 2007:14; Van der Wal and Van Bree, 1992:369).
Language has pioneered many interracial relationships and historical milestones. Language is a necessity for basic communication and cultural diversity. Being multilingual is a skill proven influential to a successful future. Due to rapid globalization, countries all over the world are stressing the importance of learning a second, or even third, language. With the exception of time and lack of resources, adults have very few widely applicable disadvantages to learning multiple languages. However, language learning as a child presents more complications. Some of those include not having enough funding at the elementary school level to introduce a program for secondary language, academic overload for the youth, stress for both the parent and student parties, and the mixing of languages. Not all of these complications are true in any or all situations, however, and the absence of them provides multitudes of opportunity for future career and academic success. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the parents or the education legislation to decide whether they encourage the learning of a secondary language at the young age necessary for retention. “The general consensus is that it takes between five to seven years for an individual to achieve advanced fluency,” therefore the younger a child begins to learn, the more likely they are to benefit to the maximum potential (Robertson). Keeping the language learning in high school or beginning the process earlier is a greatly controversial discussion that is important to address because of the topic’s already lengthy suspension.