...This page intentionally left blank The Study of Language This best-selling textbook provides an engaging and user-friendly introduction to the study of language. Assuming no prior knowledge of the subject, Yule presents information in short, bite-sized sections, introducing the major concepts in language study – from how children learn language to why men and women speak differently, through all the key elements of language. This fourth edition has been revised and updated with twenty new sections, covering new accounts of language origins, the key properties of language, text messaging, kinship terms and more than twenty new word etymologies. To increase student engagement with the text, Yule has also included more than fifty new tasks, including thirty involving data analysis, enabling students to apply what they have learned. The online study guide offers students further resources when working on the tasks, while encouraging lively and proactive learning. This is the most fundamental and easy-to-use introduction to the study of language. George Yule has taught Linguistics at the Universities of Edinburgh, Hawai’i, Louisiana State and Minnesota. He is the author of a number of books, including Discourse Analysis (with Gillian Brown, 1983) and Pragmatics (1996). “A genuinely introductory linguistics text, well suited for undergraduates who have little prior experience thinking descriptively about language. Yule’s crisp and thought-provoking presentation of key issues works...
Words: 114096 - Pages: 457
...field of anthropology. Numerically Kotas have always been a small group not exceeding 1,500 individuals spread over seven villages for the last 150 years. They have maintained a lifestyle as a jack of all trades such as potters, agriculturalist, leather workers, carpenters, and black smiths and as musicians for other groups. Since the British colonial period they have availed themselves of educational facilities and have improved their socio-economic status and no longer depend on the traditional services provided to make a living. Some anthropologists have considered them to be a specialized caste as opposed to be a tribe or an ethnic group. Kotas have their own unique language that belongs to the Dravidian language family but diverged from South Dravidian sub family at some time in BCE. Their language was studied in detail by Murray Barnson Emeneau, a pioneer in the field of Dravidian linguistics. Their social institutions were distinct from mainstream Indian cultural norms and had some similarities to Todas and other tribal people in neighbouring Kerala and the prominentNair caste. It was informed by a fraternal polyandry and polygyny where possible. Kota religion was unlike mainstream Hinduism and believed in non-anthropormorphic male deities and a female deity. Since the...
Words: 2202 - Pages: 9
...Assignment 2: Figurative Language versus Literal Language The lack of exposure to non literal forms of language makes it difficult to engage in productive thinking. Having the capacity to understand figurative language increases our ability to communicate with each other. By increasing our word bank we expand our knowledge base and increase our thinking capacity. Below are a list of ten words with their meaning, definitions, examples and appropriate circumstances in which to use them. 1. Describe the meaning and function of each term. 1. Idiom is a language, dialect or speaking style peculiar to a people. 2. Analogy is a similarity between two like subjects on which a comparison can be based. 3. Metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to which is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance. 4. Simile is a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicably compared. 5. Cliché is a sentence or phrase usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea which has lost its originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse. 6. Amphiboly is ambiguity of speech, especially from uncertainty of the grammatical construction rather than the meaning of the word. 7. "Flame word" is a word used or tone used to insult someone. 8. Hyperbole is a figure of speech not intended to be taken literally. 9. Euphemism is the substitution of a mild, indirect or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh or blunt....
Words: 1193 - Pages: 5
...Detect lies through body language None of us like being lied to or being taken for granted. Personally it hurts but in business it can cause a lot of hardships and cost you a lot of money. Our body is a key aspect that people observe when communicating other than our speech or verbal gestures. Learning to read body languages can help to judge if someone is lying to you with fair chances of accuracy. A survey shows that about 55% of how we communicate depends on our body language. Depending on the context of the person, a simple hand motion or a crossing of the lips can have varied meanings, sometimes positive or negative. A good observant can tell whether a person is telling the truth or shying away from it just from his/her body posture, facial expressions or even through the tone of voice. In a work environment, communication and interactions among staffs and members do not always hold a sense of honesty as one would expect. People often do not tell the truth during interviews, meetings or interrogations. However, such deceiving acts can be caught if one were to carefully monitor a person's behavior and body language. What takes place in the mind in many cases transfers to body movements and postures that mean something, which act as cues whether that person is being honest or not. Here I am going to discuss some of the many body languages that people show when they are being dishonest or lying, with or without being aware of them. Liars usually do not make eye contact...
Words: 1150 - Pages: 5
...Public Speaking Public speaking is an art. Like art, it’s the product of human reasons in the community. Public Speaking is a work that came from our skills and imagination. To be good at our skill we need to undergo trainings and exercising. You need to exercise your skill in public speaking. Just like bird, it doesn’t fly not unless it is being taught how to fly. Performing needs preparation. Preparations include different parts that make up your speech. You need to know what the purpose in delivering your speech is. Know your main objective to make everything clear. Also make sure that your idea fits the interest of your audiences. Your message depends in your audience. In writing your speech, you need to have a plan. Organize your ideas and make sure you’re ideas go well with your topic. Accept and renew ideas that can help enhance your message. Reject ideas that is out of the boundary of your speech. It would be nice if you use simple words so that your audiences can easily understand you. What’s significant in telling is that you’re audience can get what you want to tell them. Try to use words that are easy to understand. Lastly is delivering your speech. Eye-to-eye contact is really necessary. Make sure that you’re conversation to your audience is good. It’s like you are talking and your audience is the one who will agree to you. You should let them know that you are talking to them. Your voice is one of the special things needed in delivering your speech. You need...
Words: 363 - Pages: 2
...Davenport PHI210032VA16-1132-001 – Critical Thinking January 25th, 2013 Figurative Language versus Literal Language Figurative language is a language in which the individual expresses his or her ideas and thoughts with the help of words having more than one meaning. Figurative language is an important part of writing and is also widely used in speech. To understand this language one has to use his or her imagination. Without it no one can figure out the exact meaning of the words the author wants to say. For instance, when someone says that it’s raining cats and dogs, it actually means that it is raining very hard. Terms Idioms Idioms are those terms in the figurative language in which the words, phrases and expressions are either grammatically unique or have meaning that can be literally understood by the individual. For example, an idiom: ‘after John had broken the window, he decided to face the music and tell his mother. ‘ Meaning: to accept the unpleasant consequences of one's actions With the help of an idiom, it becomes very easy for a person to narrate their native-language but if the person is using the language of other culture, sometimes it becomes an entirely unapproachable thing. Analogy If in the figurative language in order to highlight some point of similarity, the author does comparison between two different things. This style of speech is known as analogy...
Words: 958 - Pages: 4
...words were slippery, unpredictable, changing their meanings without any pattern.” -Robert A. Heinlein In this text, Saussure concerns himself with what he refers to language, which he defines as a system of signs that express a concept, and argues that it can be expressed by two components: langue (the abstract system of language that is internalized by a community) and parole (the individual acts of speech). Furthermore, Saussure regards parole as heterogeneous (composed of many parts) and langue as homogeneous (composed of the union of meanings and what he refers to as sound images – both being psychological in nature). Therefore, Saussure considers langue as systematic; this being the reason why Saussure chooses to focus on langue as it allows an investigative methodology that is rooted, supposedly, in pure science. In this text, Saussure endeavors to argue against a common view of language that regards language as being a natural organism which grows and evolves following a set of laws that are outside the control of human beings. Instead, Saussure wants to position language as a social phenomenon that is beyond the immediate control of the individual speaker. To clearly state his point, Saussure needs to define the following concepts. The Sign The signe (sign) is the basic unit of language that Saussure wants to focus on for the start of his investigation in linguistics. He describes the sign as a double entity, composed of the sound image (signifier) and the...
Words: 748 - Pages: 3
...Monster in Plath’s “Mirror”: The woman becomes a narrating reflector of herself as mirror and of whatever passes before it. She becomes the writer who writes of the mirror in which she perceives herself and of the mirror she is (pg 156). Plath develops the character of the mirror, and the woman this mirror observes, through the personification of the mirror. Plath’s Mirror, maneuvers through figurative language, free verse form, personification, and metaphor. The primary language of Mirror is figurative. Figurative language is defined by Clugston (2010) as “the use of words in ways they are not normally used in order to create a distinct imaginative effect or impression” (10.3). “I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions” (Plath, 1963). Generally, it is not logically accepted that a mirror would have a voice. As written in William Freedman’s, Sylvia Plath’s, “Mirror of Mirrors”(1987), “Language may not say what the speaker means (though only other language can determine or do that)” (pg. 59). What Freedman proclaims is that only figurative or metaphoric language can...
Words: 1006 - Pages: 5
...Deconstructing Ubese - a Star Wars Conlang Extrapolation I don't know about you, but I was always intrigued by the language Boushh/Leia spoke in Return of the Jedi. There were only a few examples of it in the film: "Yatay, yatay, yotoh," supposedly meant "I have come for the bounty on this wookie." "Yotoh, yotoh" = "$50,000, no less." "Ey, yotoh" = C-3PO paraphrases this as "Because he's holding a thermal detenator!" "Yatoh, cha" = C-3PO paraphrases this as "He agrees." There is something else Boushh/Leia says after the business with Jabba is concluded but I can't really make it out. But the 'yatay yotoh' stuff is what fascinates me. After a bit of searching I discovered that it was called Ubese. After all this research into linguistics and blogging about conlangs, I thought it would be fun to explore an unknown language, and see if I can deconstruct it, and extrapolate on it. Of course, this would have to be a very simple language; but I've posted a few times about how important I think simplicity is. Ubese seems to be the ideal choice to examine and extrapolate on. How would you convey meaning with such seemingly limited and simple vocabulary? Such simplicity would imply, to me, that this is a very context-based language; that words mean many different things according to their context. If this is the case, repeating a word, or reduplication, alters, shifts, deepens, etc. the meaning. If this is the case, what could the sentences mean, if translated to English...
Words: 1903 - Pages: 8
...With over 300 languages and dozens of different cultures intermingling every-day, it makes perfect sense why so many massive multinational corporations have headquarters in London. Within the 32 boroughs that make up Greater London, the proud capital of United Kingdom, there are over 300 different languages spoken daily. This makes London a truly cosmopolitan city, probably more so than New York. New York too has diverse demographics of languages spoken but considering the presence of United Nations there, perhaps it makes more sense. But London being so close to mainland Europe, has almost become a destination of choice for bilingual professionals. The business world recognises this and has reacted adequately. A good example of this would be the fact that Air-France consolidated all of the European call centres and moved them to Wembley in North London hence creating over 200 jobs. There are plenty of other similar examples and London now hosts more multilingual contact centres than anywhere else in the world and across the board, in many industry sectors the need for bilingual professionals has seen a steady growth. Probably New York is the only city that comes close to London in terms of Internationalism. Prof. John Wells of UCL says besides the obvious business sense this helps to eliminate the narrow-mindedness of British people in learning languages. He also adds that while this makes the population more diverse it also encourages learning new languages hence a skill...
Words: 519 - Pages: 3
...Vocabulary Instruction: Best Practices Raul A. Garcia Grand Canyon University SED: 535- Adolescent Literacy Prof. Dennis Fare May, 16, 2012 Meditation XVII: "No man is an Island, intire of it selfe; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine owne were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee." (Donne, J., 1924/1987) I find it ironic that this poem is written in 1924 by a poet who has recently recovered an illness that nearly takes his life, and is again used in the book by Ernest Hemmingway For whom the bell tolls, in which the main Character is a professor at a University who is also an explosions expert on a mission to blow up a bridge. Yet knowing he will not survive his mission uses this poem as a reference to what he is sure will be his own death. However, as I think of this person being a professor would it be an irony that instead of being death it may talk about life as a teacher? For whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee, not to remind us of death but to remind us of our service to Mankinde. Does that bell toll for our students to get to class or does that bell toll to remind us of the commitment we made when we decided to be teachers of those students. Now that I have your...
Words: 2031 - Pages: 9
...Hodgkiss Mr. Humphrey COMM 2 – Book Report March 13, 2012 The Five Love Languages With the divorce rate at over fifty percent, what can be done to keep love alive? What is the secret to a happy marriage? These are questions that Gary Chapman explores and defines in The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate. If couples are to communicate effectively with each other they must learn the language with whom they want to communicate. This book explores the five emotional love languages and the way couples speak and understand emotional love. Specifically the emotional love language a husband or wife would consider as their primary “love language”. Couples may be expressing what they know is their love language, but they may not be speaking their spouses love language and their spouse is interpreting it as a foreign language. Chapman insists when you identify and learn to speak your spouse’s primary love language you will have discovered the key to a long-lasting loving marriage. The Five Love Languages explored in Chapman’s book are: (1) Words of Affirmation, (2) Quality Time, (3) Receiving Gifts, (4) Acts of Service, and (5) Physical Touch. “At the heart of mankind’s existence is the desire to be intimate and to be loved by another. Marriage is designed to meet that need for intimacy and love” (Chapman). Each person in a marriage has an emotional love language that speaks loudly to them and when used by the other person it fills up...
Words: 1003 - Pages: 5
...One reason that face-to-face communication is better than newer methods is that it allows one person to see the facial expressions of another. When a person is talking about good news they usually smile and their eyes light up. Or when a person is having a serious conversation, their eyebrows are usually lower and they keep a straight face on while talking. Without these facial expressions it can be tricky to figure out a person’s meaning behind what he says. Another reason why face-to-face communication is important is that you can tell whether the person is telling the truth or not. When people communicate over the phone or through an email it is impossible to tell when a person is lying. But when it comes to personal communication it is not as easy to get away with a lie. Many people in business prefer this face-to-face method because it helps them to figure out if the person speaking is honest enough to go into business with. When it comes to face-to-face communication there is one more reasons why it is better than other method of communication. When a person is expressing feelings of love or sympathy, no other method of communication will express them perfectly. When a person is showing his/her love for someone, he/she must do it face-to-face so that the other party can see how much he/she mean what he/she says. Also when it comes to expressing sympathy for someone, using any other types of communication is just not enough. By calling someone or emailing him/her to express...
Words: 383 - Pages: 2
...You are asked to translate and certify a document which is written in more than one language. You are able to read all the languages but are only accredited in one language. What should you do? I would inform the client that even though I’m able to read all the languages in the document, I am accredited only for one language and therefore I am not able to undertake the assignment. As a translator keeping the client aware of the NAATI level is very important for the code of ethics of a translator. Even though I am able to read all languages on the document I am accredited only for one language. And the other languages are not in my competence. As it is stated on the code of ethics competence is one of the most important aspects for a translator. 105 words You are asked to translate an Academic record. When the client arrives to collect the translation, they try to get you to change the results, claiming the “B” should have been an “A”. They insist you change it. What should you do? As a translator I will always be firm in my translations at all times. As a translator I need to abide to the code of ethics and it is not ethical to alter any of the content of the document. As it is stated on code of ethics Accuracy is one of the most important aspects of translation. As a translation it is not ethical to omit, alter or make any additions to the documents that I translate. In this basis if I am not able to omit or alter anything on the translation. However if it seems...
Words: 827 - Pages: 4
...an important historical event of my choosing. I was excited because I was going to talk about storming the beaches of Normandy, but did not memorize my speech well enough and did not deliver it nearly as well as I was hoping I would. I decided to ask my junior date to prom through impromptu speaking, but when the time actually came I did not have the right words to say and she was not too happy with me, luckily I gave her flowers. I could have obtained a job working at a beach club last year, but during my interview, failed to use enough specific, concrete words and ended up not being hired by the company. I could have told my mom up front when I knocked down and broke her favorite lamp, but instead used to too much figurative language to the point where she couldn’t figure out what I was telling her and had to find out on her own. When telling my dad that I wanted to quit track, I had trouble making eye contact with him and my physical delivery was off, making it difficult to persuade him and make my point, instead I just beat around the bush and made it harder for both of us. I highly regret the time I delivered a speech on the holiday of Halloween and passed around candy for my audience, because people were more interested in finding red Starburst than what I had to say. Recently, for my Leisure and Lifestyle Development class I brought a Frisbee as my visual aid when telling people of what I liked to do for leisure. My teacher promptly asked me to show off...
Words: 447 - Pages: 2
