SPEECH SOUNDS : are the medium we use to represent what it is we are saying, they represent content of
meaning and both the speaker normally know the meaning which are send/transmit by the SOUND
PRODUCED BY A SPEAKER. Speech sound do not themselves have meaning. Words have meaning and when
we use them come from our mouths as sound.
LANGUAGE IS A CODE: a human language can be considered as a code for send information. The linguistic
code uses symbols which mean something. For example we have a traffic-light code : a red light means
“Stop”, a yellow light “prepare stop” and green light “proceed”.
SYMBOL : each word of language is a symbol, a sequence of sounds or letters which is related to a
particular meaning.
STRUCTURE: language has a structure. They may consist of sequence of similar elements. For example the
sentence “Mary swims” we know that Mary is a noun and swim is a verb and the “s” tells us that the
swimming is not taking place in the past.
FUNCTION: we can describe the function of the unit by seeing what part it plays in the structure of the
next highest unit. We can describe the form of the unit by examining its internal structure. In essays,
sentences have a function in paragraphs, as topic sentence or as sentences that expanded the topic in some
way. Paragraphs have a function in essay. There are introductory paragraphs, intermediate paragraphs, and
concluding paragraphs, all of which have particular functions.
RULE: units of a language have a hierarchical organization, that is they are made up of a series of units,
each of which may have an internal structure. There are rules which determine the sequencing possibilities
of larger units within words. (yes: sanity and saneness / yes : bleakness no : bleakity ). Other rules
determine which sequences of sounds are permitted to be words in English. There are rules which
determine how words fit (adattarsi) into sentences. Rules are descriptive, not prescriptive ; this means they
describe regularities in the way language is structured.
So, Language is a code that consent us to represent ideas by means of sounds. A special property of this
code is that its symbols are complex; that is, they have an internal structure. Units have a structure which is
rule-governed. The rules are of many different kinds. Some of them are concerned with combination of
sounds, some with the formation of phrases and sentences, and some with the assignment of meaning.
DIALECT: each speaker has his or her own identifying features (carratteristiche). Other aspect of a
speaker’s language reflect his or her dialect, is a reflection of the place the person comes from. A person’s
social position can also be reflected in their language. There are 2 kinds of dialect, regional and social,
reflecting a person’s place of origin geographically and socially. The speaker’s purpose (scopo) can also
have an effect. They may be trying to persuade, explain, inform, or entertain their audience. Each purpose
involves choosing certain features of language over others. For example, teachers talk differently when
speaking to each other than they do when talking to students. This can involve differences in the choice of
words and grammatical contructions.
Changes in a language are often built on variation in a language at a particular time. We can have
contemporary variation and historical variation. Language contact also often results in language change.
(from Norman invaders). The natural bounds of variation are signalled by points where a language can
vary. These are often called “linguistic variables”. “Knaves vs jacks” is a lexical variable, variation in sound.
Languages also have grammatical variables ( I haven’t done / I ain’t done ).
SYNTAX: we have seen that languages are codes which connect speech sound to meaning. Syntax deals
(accorda) with the structure of sentences and the meaning of a sentence depends in part on its
grammatical structure and in part on the meaning of the words in it.
