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Introduction to the course Language Is language a system? Yes. Is there intrinsic connection between form and meaning? No. It’s arbitrary . Different definitions Language is a system whose parts can and must be considered in their synchronic solidarity. (de Saussure, 1916) [Language is] a set (finite or infinite) of sentences, each finite in length and constructed out of a finite set of elements. (Chomsky, 1957) Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. A system ----elements in it are arranged according to certain rules. They cannot be arranged at will. e.g. He the table cleaned. bkli Arbitrary ----there is no intrinsic (logic) connection between a linguistic form and its meaning. Vocal --------the primary medium for all languages is sound, no matter how well developed their writing systems are. Writing systems came into being much later than the spoken forms. People with little or no literacy can also be competent language users. Symbols ----words are just the symbols associated with objects, actions, and ideas by convention. Human ----language is human-specific. Human beings have different kinds of brains and vocal capacity. “Language Acquisition Device” (LAD) The divine theory --- God created language for human beings. The bow-wow theory --- Language developed from the imitation of the calls of animals. The pooh-pooh theory --- Language developed from instinctive sounds of pain, anger and joy of human beings. The yo-he-ho theory --- Language developed from rhythmic grunts of people when they worked together. Properties of Language -Design features Arbitrariness The arbitrary property of language means that there is no logical connection between sounds and meanings (form and meaning). Arbitrariness Arbitrary relationship between the sound of a morpheme and its meaning