II. The Structure of Language
Language is a system of symbols and rules that is used for meaningful communication. A system of communication has to meet certain criteria in order to be considered a language:
The Building Blocks of Language Language is organized hierarchically, from phonemes to morphemes to phrases and sentences that communicate meaning. Phonemes Phonemes are the smallest distinguishable units in a language. In the English language, many consonants, such as t, p, and m, correspond to single phonemes, while other consonants, such as c and g, can correspond to more than one phoneme. Vowels typically correspond to more than one phoneme. For example, o corresponds to different phonemes depending on whether it is pronounced as in bone or woman. Some phonemes correspond to combinations of consonants, such as ch, sh, and th. Morphemes Morphemes are the smallest meaningful units in a language. In the English language, only a few single letters, such as I and a, are morphemes. Morphemes are usually whole words or meaningful parts of words, such as prefixes, suffixes, and word stems. Example: The word “disliked” has three morphemes: “dis,” “lik,” and “ed.” Syntax Syntax is a system of rules that governs how words can be meaningfully arranged to form phrases and sentences. Example: One rule of syntax is that an article such as “the” must come before a noun, not after: “Read the book,” not “Read book the.” Language Development in Children Children develop language in a set sequence of stages, although sometimes particular skills develop at slightly different ages:
Ambiguous Language Language may sometimes be used correctly but still have an unclear meaning or multiple meanings. In these cases, language is ambiguous—it can be understood in several ways. Avoid biting dogs is an example of an ambiguous sentence. A person might interpret it as Keep out of the way of biting dogs or Don’t bite dogs. |
Vocabulary to Know
Language Phonemes Morphemes Syntax Babbling Telegraphic Speech Metalinguistic Awareness Quizlet |
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