You Don’t Understand How Language Works
Notes
Components of language
- Pragmatics
- Semantics
- Syntax
- Morphology
- Phonetics
Book recommendation
Contemporary Linguistics
AI Summary
Introduction to Language Complexity
- Language is both complex and intuitive.
- Discussion of prefixes, suffixes, and infixes, with a focus on infixes in English (used mainly in swearing).
- Example: “abso-freaking-lutely” is correct, but “ab-freaking-solutely” is not.
- We instinctively know where to place infixes without explicit teaching.
Pragmatics: How Social Context Shapes Meaning
- Phrases like “How are you?” can be either a greeting or a genuine question, depending on context.
- Example:
- Casual greeting: “Hey, how are you?” → Not expecting a real answer.
- In a serious situation (e.g., after bad news): “Hey, how are you?” → A real inquiry about well-being.
- Funny anecdote: A Japanese learner of English mistakenly thought “Be sure to like and subscribe” was a casual goodbye phrase because of YouTube videos.
Semantics: How Words Form Meaning
- We define words by their traits. Example:
- A dog is an animal with four legs, fur, and a snout.
- A robot dog lacks many of those traits but is still considered a dog.
- A fake dog can mean different things (e.g., a statue or a fox).
- Adjectives modify words but must follow strict ordering rules in English:
- Correct: “Giant red cartoon dog”
- Incorrect: “Cartoon red giant dog”
- A fascinating linguistic pattern most native speakers follow without realizing.
Syntax: The Structure of Sentences
- English has strict rules about adjective order, which most people follow intuitively.
- Correct order: Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Color → Origin → Material → Purpose.
- Example: “Ugly square orange car” sounds right, but “Orange square ugly car” does not.
- Compounded phrases like “red dragon” (common in fantasy) may override these rules due to cultural exposure.
Morphology & Phonetics: The Sounds of Language
- Morphology: How words change form.
- Example: “Quicken” exists, but “slowen” does not.
- Phonetics: The study of speech sounds.
- The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) allows precise pronunciation.
- English has inconsistent spelling and pronunciation (e.g., “enough,” “women,” and “nation” all use “gh” differently).
- Example joke: By English spelling logic, “fish” could be spelled “ghoti” (GH as in enough, O as in women, TI as in nation).
Conclusion: The Hidden Complexity of Language
- Language is full of unspoken rules that we instinctively follow.
- Every language has unique quirks, making learning a new one extremely challenging.
- Encourages patience and appreciation for non-native speakers.
- Book Recommendation: Contemporary Linguistics – a great introduction to linguistic theory.