Don't let the term 'Linguistics' turn you off!

I can't tell you the number of strange looks and remarks I have gotten from acquaintances when I tell them I am interested in and teach courses in Linguistics.  "What's that?"  they ask.   My usual answer, "It's the science of language,"  doesn't create much enthusiasm (much to my dismay!)

Sometimes I try to become more socially acceptable by just saying I am interested in languages. Languages are a part of the definition of Linguistics, but it is only a small piece of the big Linguistics puzzle.  Let's take a closer look at some of those (fascinating!) puzzle pieces.

Most of us acquire our native language between approximately the ages of 18 months and four or five years. We probably don't remember how we acquired language from our surroundings, just like we don't remember how we learned to crawl or walk.  How young children acquire language is one of the big mysteries that linguists try to explain.  Are babies born with a blueprint of sorts in their brains that make language acquisition possible in a few short years?  Do babies need to hear perfect language to learn to speak? Can adults affect the way children acquire language? Interested? Read up on First or Child Language Acquisition, and you'll also learn about Chomsky's Theory of Universal Grammar.  

Once a language is acquired, linguists have other problems to contend with such as:  How do new

words come into a language?  Do they just enter a language willy-nilly, or is there a predictable pattern?   Is is okay to bring new words into a language ?   How is it that we can guess what a made-up word like 'conker' might mean? (Someone who 'conks', right?)  Interested in these topics? Study up on Morphology, how words are created in our brains.

"The angry woman hit the man with the umbrella."  Who had the umbrella?  The angry woman or the man?  Can you make your brain switch back and forth between those two possibilities?  How is that possible?  A  solution could come from the Linguistics field of Syntax, the study of how phrases and sentences are put together in the brain.

If your brain combines 'with the umbrella'" with the angry woman, then you can picture her brandishing the umbrella like a weapon.  If, on the other hand, your brain combines 'with the umbrella' with the man, a different picture emerges.  An innocent man holding an umbrella may be getting punched by the fist of the angry woman.  And of course, syntacticians would love to draw you one of those dreaded tree diagrams to prove their point, but you can always politely decline if graphics aren't your thing!

Another important piece of the Linguistics puzzle is the sound systems of languages.  Why are you probably born with the ability to understand all sounds from all languages, but later on in life, when you are learning Spanish, you have trouble rolling that 'rr'?  Why are sounds easy to understand separately and often more difficult when they are combined in a word with other sounds?  Would using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) aid in learning sounds of other languages?  The Linguistics fields of Phonetics and Phonology address these questions.

Partial IPA chart

Whew!   A student once told me that studying Linguistics made her brain tired!  I hope this brief discussion of the field of Linguistics has brought you inspiration, not exhaustion.  Thanks for reading!

"Correct me if I'm wrong." Really?

Once we take the plunge into acquiring another language, what we think we want is a patient tutor who will correct everything we say wrong in the new language.  (I'm imagining a Siri-like being who will listen  ad infinitum at the push of a button!) 

Maybe it's an incorrect pronunciation we are choosing, or a wrong word form, or a non-standard grammar usage. If our patient tutor would just let us know when we make an error, we could reach our goal of becoming a fluent second language speaker.  This reasoning makes a lot of sense, right?  Do something wrong, get corrected, do it right the next time. The problem is, with language acquisition, that simplistic formula generally does not have the desired effect.  What, you say?

Let's start with children.  Most parents don't correct their child's grammar. Although they may correct information, like "We are going to Aunt Sally's house, not Grandma Sue's,"  they don't correct form.  As a matter of fact, parents think it is pretty cute when their baby makes an 'error' and says, "Two footses."

Their child is on the way to genius status.  The child has started forming a mental grammar that says in English we put an ending on a word for the concept of plural.  And the child has acquired not one ending, but two, -s and –es!  Soon the little one will start matching the correct plural sounds to words that end in different sounds (like coats and churches).  And at some point the little linguist will realize that adults don’t even use the logical rule for this plural.  Instead, adults use a similar word (feet) with a different sound in the middle, and those illogical adults don’t even attach the ending the baby has so carefully worked out in the brain.  Whew!  Do you see why parents should just let children build their own language in their own brains?  And the good news is, no normal adult that I know still says “footses.”  Children will eventually match their language to that of the surrounding environment.

But how about those of us who are no longer children?  We already speak our native language, we have world knowledge, and we are capable of thinking about language.  Does this mean that an adult second language learner should be subjected to a barrage of error corrections? Wouldn't you like to acquire a language at your own pace, formulating and testing what you think are the grammar rules of that language in your own brain?  If you make some errors along the path of learning your new language, is it the worst possible thing that could happen?  It seems that a sadder scenario would be for the adult learner to become so discouraged by trying to use the language so perfectly at the beginning of language study that the person gives up completely.

How about asking other people not to correct you when you speak your new language?  Tell them you just want to communicate with them, and that you are working out how the language works by listening to their responses.  Your conversation will be much more satisfying as true communication rather than a language lesson disguised as real language use.  Acquiring a new language, after all, should be an enjoyable experience!

What is in your 'black box'?

Linguists would be so happy if they could only take a direct look inside your head when you are using language!  They refer to your brain as a 'black box' because it doesn't give up its secrets easily.  Where is language located? How does language happen? These questions belong to the field of neurolinguistics.

We know (or think we know!) a few facts about language and the brain.  We believe that language is located in the brain.  And because of  experiments that were done in the 19th century in Europe, we believe that certain areas in the brain may be specialized for specific language functions.

We also know that the brain is divided into two hemispheres, named 'left brain' and 'right brain'.  For most people, language is concentrated in the left hemisphere.  You may remember the terms 'left brain' and 'right brain' from pop psychology of several years ago.  Left brain people were described as analytical list makers, while right brain people were creative pattern makers.  It isn't quite that simple or neatly divided. While the left brain is very important in language comprehension and production, the right brain may also play a role.

Here is a diagram of the left brain.  There are two important areas for language.  One is Broca's area, which is the language production area.  Another is Wernicke's area, which is the comprehension area. Although these areas are specialized for language, other areas and connections may also play a role in language.

Aphasia (language loss) occurs when one of the areas is damaged.  Damage to Broca's area results in a patient who may comprehend language but whose speech is  telegraphic and agrammatic.  Only essential words are used and production of sounds may be difficult.  In contrast, damage to Wernicke's area results in a patient who has what is known as 'fluent aphasia.'  The patient can speak but cannot use the right words to create an understandable meaning.

Another interesting fact about language and the brain is that if a child is not allowed to hear language before puberty, the child will never be able to use language normally.  It is as if the brain becomes less flexible after a certain age.  This is known as the "Critical (or sometimes Sensitive) Age" hypothesis.  Fortunately, this is not the case for us "over the hill" second language learners.  It is believed that second language learning involves many areas in the brain.  What a relief!

New imaging techniques, such as fMRI's are helping linguists find out more about the 'black box.' We need to stay tuned, because we are going to learn much more in the future about language and the brain.

Do you speak a dialect of English?

Would you say that you speak a dialect of English?  If you answered "No"  to this question, you may want to continue reading!

Let's first consider the word "dialect."  Is it as prestigious as the word "language"?  Do we sometimes put the words "just a ..." in front of the word dialect?   Does "dialect" conjure up images of unacceptable grammar forms, unusual vocabulary, and unintelligible pronunciations in your mind?

To linguists, "dialect"  has the same meaning as "variety."  And variety doesn't carry the negative baggage that "dialect"  does.  The truth of the matter is that all English speakers use a dialect (variety) of English.  Yes, even you!

No one speaks an idealized Standard English all the time. If we are very careful in our speech, we can probably produce a spoken English sentence with neutral pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.  But when we speak normally, we show variations in our language.

We may reveal the region of the English speaking world we grew up in.  My dialect of English identifies me as having grown up in Texas, but on the border with Mexico in an English-Spanish bilingual atmosphere.. My British friends complain of my Texas drawl, and my Texas friends accuse me of being too precise in my pronunciation and sounding British! What's a person to do?

Here is a YouTube video that you may enjoy about a person speaking in 21 different English accents.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3UgpfSp2t6k

I also reveal my rural upbringing on a cotton farm by occasionally calling the refrigerator an "ice box."  I would never ask the salesperson in an appliance store to show me an "ice box,"  but I might say to my husband, "Did you remember to put the milk back in the ice box?"

Almost every time I open my mouth to speak, I also reveal the generation I am a member of.   I try to follow current language trends in order not to appear so old-fashioned by choosing words such as  "actually," "random," and "streaming."  But all too often I come out with terms like "beauty shop", "five and dime," and "printer ribbon" (Yes, I really did request a ribbon instead of a cartridge at Office Depot.  Very embarrassing!)

Differences in male-female speech are still being studied by linguists.   In my English dialect can be found traces of some features that have traditionally been considered typical  of female speech. I often add tag questions to the end of statements.  For example, I would probably say, "Nice weather we are having, aren't we?"   My language is not peppered with obscenities (except when they are truly needed to express my consternation over a situation!)  But I could never say, "It sucks."  And I do watch my grammar, trying to get "lie" and "lay" used correctly and adding -"ly" to my adverbs, as in "Let's say it differently" rather than "Let's say it different."

I hope that after considering various factors in language variation,  you now feel more comfortable in admitting that you speak (and everyone else speaks) a dialect of English.  Of course, we all know that our dialect is the best English  :)

How did Language begin?

Do you remember learning your first language?  I don't.  Most of us use language (or our native language at least) seemingly effortlessly.  It just happened when we were very young, like being able to crawl and walk

But the how, when, why and by whom questions of the origin of language have been explored throughout the ages.  We still have no specific answer.  What is intriguing is why we continue to be interested in a phenomenon that probably began somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago.

In the absence of physical evidence of the beginnings of language, we have much speculation. Most religions have a Divine Source for language, like Adam naming all things in the Christian religion.  And the Natural Sound theory states that there is some evidence that humans started vocalizing by imitating sounds of the natural world. Modern examples would be words like "cuckoo," "splash," "boom," or even a "Slurpee" from the nearby convenience store.  You may remember from studying English poetry that these types of words are known as onomatopoeic words because they sound like what they represent.  But they comprise only a small number of the words in any language.

Another theory of language origins is the idea of Social Interaction creating a need for language.  Early humans lived in groups and probably needed to cooperate for survival.  

Yet another theory is that of the Physical Adaptation of human beings.  I love the images of humans standing upright, walking on two legs, the larynx (voice box) dropping, and pharynx now becoming longer and available as a resonating chamber to make a variety of sounds.  Our lips and tongue became more muscular and flexible, which also increased the variety of sounds that we could make.  

Still another explanation lies in the Tool Making Source. Tool-making indicates brain activity. Our human brains are lateralized. The left brain is generally used for language. The motor movements to make speech and manipulate objects are located near one another in the left hemisphere of the brain.

And finally there is the Genetic Source.  Noam Chomsky's Innateness Theory states that the human brain has a special capacity to acquire language which is present at birth.  In modern day terminology, we might describe the brain as being "hard-wired" for language.  It is further theorized that a crucial mutation took place in the brain which made language possible.

Whew!  That is a lot of heavy information to answer the question of how language began.  And we didn't really find a definitive answer.  But many present day linguists are still searching for that elusive answer because having language is an essential element in being human.

"Random" Language Thoughts from the Winter Olympics

I can't help it.  I really love everything about the Olympic Games.  My husband Wayne and I attended the 2012 Summer Games in London several summers ago, an unforgettable experience. We are watching this year's 2014 Winter Olympics from the comfort of our TV room, complete with a large tin of popcorn and our cat Bitsy purring in my lap.

The Games bring together many of the things in life I enjoy - an international perspective, enthusiastic young people, lots of drama, and a chance to observe language used in many different forms.  Yes, language, believe it or not.

Sage Kotsenburg in center

The first bit of language that brought a smile to my face was the news that Sage Kotsenburg (the snowboarder who later was awarded the first US gold medal in the games), tweeted the news that he had made it to the semi-finals and added, "How random is that?" That phrase expressed so well Sage's surprise and honesty regarding his own abilities.  It was a refreshing change from other athletes who appear to be much more driven and self-absorbed.

Ever since I heard my 20-something son use the word "random" in a new context, I have been noticing its more frequent use by young people recently.   "Random" still means "occurring by chance," but it seems that the word has expanded in meaning and has now entered the domain of slang.

In case you aren't a member of the hip generation, have a look at this web site for some great examples of the expanded uses of "random".

http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/random 

You may even want to start using some slang yourself!

Now let's have a serious discussion about slang. In the world of Linguistics, prescriptivists are those who gleefully take out their real or virtual red pens for correction and declare that a word like "random" used with an additional meaning is wrong, disgraceful, not to be allowed, and will cause the world to take a long plunge into the Nether Regions in a hand basket.  On the other hand, most linguists pride themselves on being descriptivists.  They are interested in studying language as it is currently used, not in making judgments about its correctness. Most linguists think slang is innovative, clever, entertaining, and worthy of attention. 

All languages change over time.  Words will take on new meanings and lose others.  Linguists call this phenomenon "semantic change"  (a nice neutral term) or "semantic shift" or "semantic drift."  I prefer the last term.  I like the idea of language not having to stay in prescribed areas but having the ability to conform to new situations.

Maybe "random" as a slang term has been overused.  Many slang terms are, and then they tend to disappear. I for one am enjoying "random" right now.  Somehow it just wouldn't have been the same for Sage Kotsenburg to have tweeted, "How capricious is that?" 

Language Learning as Entertainment?

Language as a jewel

As I see it, there is a giant gap in the area of language learning.  It is between people who say that they would love to know another language and those who eventually achieve that goal.  Are you perhaps one of those people? Are you starting to feel guilty?  Please don't.  You are not alone! The old English proverb  "There's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip"  may apply.

Let's look at one of those "slips."  My inspiration for the topic comes from the article, "The NOT to do List for Successful Language Learners" http://l2mastery.com/blog/linguistics-and-education/methods/not-to-do-list.  I agree with all ten suggestions, but the one that caught my eye this morning was:

10. Do NOT forget to have some fun!

There are many definitions of fun!

We may need to broaden the definition of 'fun'' before we go any further.  "Fun'" is definitely a subjective topic.  For some people, it may conjure up images of a wild Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans, with jazz bands jamming and beads flung from floats to eager spectators.  For others, it may be binge-watching a whole season of "Downton Abbey" with a large bowl of kettle corn and the  house cat.  To each his own.

Our traditional way of teaching languages in classrooms has been, in many cases, the very opposite of a pleasurable experience.  We have believed that students need to memorize long vocabulary lists, learn complicated grammar rules, and drill those elements by mind-numbing practice.





Only a masochist (or a language nerd like me) may survive that regime.  I'm reminded of Jane Fonda's workout videos when she encourages us to "feel the burn."  Language instructors often feel that students need to get serious and suffer in order to acquire a language.

But let's leave the classroom and enter the realm of independent learners who want to acquire a language for various purposes beyond an academic credit:  learning a language for a new job overseas, anticipating an enhanced travel experience, needing to converse with the family of a new in-law, or attempting to keep one's brain from turning to mush.  The concept of language learning as "fun" may help in these circumstances.

So, what can a person do to learn a language that is in the realm of fun, pleasure, entertainment, excitement?  (Okay, I got carried away with that last concept.)

Here are some activities that come to mind in which I could combine language learning and entertainment, based of course on my personal preferences:

Read a 19th century novel in another language.

I just finished Au Bonheur des Dames by Émile Zola.  It was hard going at times, but the recent television mini-series based on the novel helped me imagine the scenes that were described at length by Zola.  I also just finished Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis, a classical Brazilian author.  What a plot that novel has! I was reading so fast at the end to see what happened that I didn't even realize I was reading in Portuguese rather than English.

Plan a trip, then make a list of travel situations and imagine dialogues for them. 

I haven't tried this idea yet, but there is a trip with husband and friends to Northern Spain and Portugal in my future that is encouraging me to brush up on peninsular Spanish and Portuguese. I'm going for practical  and casual vocabulary here.

Watch movies and TV shows in other languages.  

I'm not much of a movie or TV fan, but I'll bet that I'm missing a great opportunity for expanding my entertainment horizons and acquiring language at the same time.

What might you do to have fun with language?  

1. Listen to music with  written lyrics.
2. Join an Internet service where you communicate in another language.
3. Sign up for a course (please be sure that it is a communication-based course).
4. Convince an acquaintance to meet you for coffee and conversation in another language on a regular basis

Let's not suffer through 15 verb tenses before we have a need to use them.  Let's make a place for language learning in the space we carve out in our lives for relaxation, enrichment, and personal growth.

Please note:  Language Lover's Blog is taking a week's mini-vacation.  It will return on February 10th.























 http://l2mastery.com/blog/linguistics-and-education/methods/not-to-do-list