Introduction to Linguistics

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Introduction to Linguistics

• Ms. Suha Jawabreh
• Lecture 18

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The Components of Language

• 1. Sounds Phonetics and Phonology
• 2. Words Morphology
• 3. Phrases and sentences- Syntax
• 4. Meaning- Semantics and Pragmatics

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What is Grammar?

• Grammar is a set of rules that govern the
  composition of words, phrases and clauses.

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• -If we have the three words boys, lucky and the
  , grammar will allow us to have
• The lucky boys
• -This phrase would be referred to as grammatical.
• However , the following combinations of words are
  referred to as ungrammatical.
• Boys the lucky - lucky boys
  the

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What are the types of grammar?

• 1. Mental grammar
• -Mental grammar describes how speakers produce
  and understand linguistic expressions.
• This grammar is sub-conscious and not the result
  of any teaching.
• Psychologists study this type of grammar.

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• 2. Proper grammar
• -This type of grammar involves what would be
  considered as linguistic etiquette.
• It identifies what best structures to be used in
  a language.
• Sociolinguists study this type of grammar.

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• 3. Language grammar
• -It involves the study and analysis of the
  structures found in a language.
• Linguists study this type of grammar

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Language Grammar

• There are two approaches which were used in
  grammatical description
• 1. The prescriptive approach
• 2. The descriptive approach

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Prescriptive approach

• It involves labelling the grammatical categories
  in sentences ( traditional grammar)
• It sets out rules for the correct or proper use
  of a languge.

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Traditional Grammar

• In traditional grammar, many traditional terms
  are used in a grammatical description
• Examples
• Parts of speech , number, person , tense, voice,
  gender (natural gender grammatical gender)

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Prescriptive rules

• In this approach , grammarians decide what the
  correct use of language, not speakers of the
  language.
• Examples of prescriptive rules
• You must not split an infinitive.
• to slowly drive
• b. You must not end a sentence with a
  preposition.
• This is the girl I gave the book to.

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• Other examples that would be considered
  improper to prescriptive grammarians
• Mary runs faster than me
• Who did you see?

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The Descriptive Approach

• A descriptive grammar looks at the way a language
  is actually used by its speakers and then
  attempts to analyse it and formulate rules about
  the structure.
• - Descriptive grammar does not deal with what
  is good or bad language use forms
  and structures.
• - It is a grammar based on the way a language
  actually is and not how some think it should be. 
     

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What is the difference between the descriptive
approach and the prescriptive approach?

• - Unlike the descriptive approach, The
  prescriptive approach deals with what the
  grammarians believe to be right and wrong, good
  or bad language use not following the rules
  will generate incorrect language.

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Types of descriptive approach

1. Structural Analysis
2. Immediate constituent analysis.

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Structural Analysis

• -This method involves the use of test-frames
  which can be sentences with empty slots in them
• The ___________ makes a lot of noise.
• I heard a ____________ yesterday.

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• - There are a lot of forms that can fit into the
  slots. (E.g. Car ,dog, child ,radio).
• All of these examples are NOUNS.
• However, there are nouns that do not fit into
  these slots. (E.g. Cathy , it , the dog, the car)
• Therefore , new test-frames are required
• ______________ makes a lot of noise
• I heard ___________ yesterday.

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Immediate Constituent Analysis

• This approach involves dividing linguistic
  expressions into constituents
• 1. at the word level
• 2. at the phrase level
• 3. At the sentence level

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Examples

• Mary ate an apple
• The dog followed the boy
• I left the book on the table

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Another example

• 1. Her father brought a shotgun to the wedding.