Chapter 1 What is Language? When we study human language, we are approaching what some might call the "human essence,” the distinctive qualities of mind that are, so far as we know, unique to man. - Noam Chomsky, Language and Mind - 1

With Noam Chomsky (2010 GLOW ASIA VIII, in Beijing) 2

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LSA Special Lecture, MIT

Avram Noam Chomsky ( ~ ) Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 9

Dr. William Chomsky 1913 제정러시아 징병 도피, 미국이민 세계적 Hebrew 문법학자 1952 David Kimhi’s Hebrew Grammar 1957 Hebrew, the Eternal Language Gratz College, 1977 작고 ( 다른 친척들 : 이스라엘 집단농장 Kibbutz 노동자 계급 ) 10

Noam Chomsky 1945 (16 세 ) Upenn, Zellig Harris (1909 – 1992) 의 제자 1947 Carol Doris Schatz 와 date, married in 1949 (20) 1949 B.A. Morphohonemics of Modern Hebrews 1951 M.A Avukah (‘Torch’ in Hebrew): Harris 가 이끄는 유태계 미국인 단체에 가 담 Harvard Fellowship ( 연구원 ) 1953 이스라엘 집단농장에서 가난한 노동자로 6 주 1955 (26) Ph.D. from UPenn, MIT 조교수 (The Logical Structure of Linguistic Theory, 1975) 11

had their first child Syntactic Structures. The Hague: Mouton. (review by Lees, in Language) 1958 (28) National Science Foundation 연구원, MIT 부교수 1959 The Sound Pattern of English 1962(33) Professor at MIT ( 외국어 및 언어학 ) 국제언어학대회에서 변형생성문법을 소개함. (Transformational Generative Grammar) 1965 (35) Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. MIT Press. (Standard Theory) Lectures on Government and Binding. Dortrecht: Foris. (GB Theory: 지배결속이론 ) The Minimalist Program. MIT Press. ( 최소주의이론 ) 12

Preface 13

Innovative Approach 14

What is Language and How do we study it? Key Concepts: Human language has numerous features that distinguish it from other communication systems. People have unconscious knowledge of language and use this knowledge to speak and understand language. All languages have grammar, a system of phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic rules. A language is really a continuum of language varieties that change over space and time. Children are hardwired to acquire a linguistic rule system, and they do so while very young, without direct teaching. All languages have the same basic framework: Universal Grammar 15

Have you ever wondered Does my dog really understand what I’m saying? Is sign language different from body language? Why do some people say “ahnt” rather than “ant” for aunt? Where did English come from, and is it really related to Latin? Why do the words Yeats and Keats sound different when they’re spelled almost the same? Do people who are bilingual ever mix up their languages? 18

Do you agree with any or all of the following opinions? French sounds more romantic than German. The sentence I don’t know nothing is sloppy English. Some languages are more primitive than others. People who say aks instead of ask are being lazy. We are taught language by our parents and teachers. Writing is more perfect than speech. 19

Human Language vs. other communication systems The features that distinguish Human Language from other communication systems: Acquiring vs. Learning a Language Semanticity Arbitrariness Discreteness Displacement Productivity Duality of patterning Duality 20

Universal Grammar vs. Linguistic Parameters All languages share these universal principles: They all have subjects and predicates. They all have nouns and verbs. They all have a subset of sounds. They all have similar ways of categorizing meaning distinctions. Basic universal principles can be defined more accurately as linguistic parameters. We can think of a parameter as a metaphorical on/off switch. 21

The Scientific Study of Language We all have unconscious knowledge of a linguistic rule system. Languages exist independent of writing systems. All languages have the same expressive power. All children acquire language if exposed to it (without instruction). All languages change over time (no matter how hard we try to stop that change). A language is really a continuum of language varieties. All languages have a common set of basic grammatical properties (Universal Grammar), and some may be parameterized. 22

What is Grammar? a. The Components of Grammar - Phonetics - Phonology - Morphology - Syntax - Semantics b. Prescriptive vs. Descriptive Grammar c. Universal Grammar 23