Introduction to English Linguistics Fidel Navidad Morales. M.Ed.

Group 01
Due date: Friday, March 8th (7:00AM)
Uploaded to Campus

Group members:
- Yulianna Lisbeth Vásquez Perla - VP22014
- Rudy Alonso Gil Díaz - GD18016
- Adriana Beatriz Retana López - RL22012

Chapter 1 “The Origins of Language”

Answer the following questions

Instructions

1. Make groups of 3 members each to work on this task.

2. Read the material and answer according to what you have understood using your own
words.
3. Give examples as needed.
4. You can consult other sources (make sure you give credit where needed).
5. DO NOT COPY AND PASTE (plagiarism and dishonesty and may be punishable by
law). You may quote what someone has said either by using a “direct quotation” with
quotation marks or by paraphrasing.

1. What is linguistics? Why do we have to study it? Give some examples

A// According to the Cambridge dictionary: "linguistics is the science that studies
verbal communication systems", according to this it is essential to study it since this way
we can understand and typify the different languages that exist and, if necessary, reuse
mother languages or rescue some that disappear little by little. For example: the different
languages of indigenous ethnic groups are essential to understand our history and the
evolution of language, and it is essential to rescue them because little by little they are
forgotten or lost and this is what linguistics is responsible for documenting. These
languages also find similarities in some languages when pronouncing some words, and in
the same way it helps us formulate words in the exact order to be able to
transmit a message.
2. What are the main branches of linguistics?
A// According to University of sheffield, the main branches of linguistics are: "Literary
Linguistics, Conversation Analysis, Dialectology, Historical Linguistics, Language
Acquisition, Morphology, Phonetics, Phonology, Pragmatics, Psycholinguistics,
Semantics, Sociolinguistics and Syntax".

3. What is the “Devine Source?”

A// According to the text, the divine source of language, try to decipher which language
was the first in the world, it tells us about the divine source in this case Adam when naming
some living creatures, and that in other religions the language is also credited to him, to a
supreme being who gave it to us humans, in the same way he tells us about experiments
that a faron and a king developed to decipher what language children develop when they
are isolated from all sounds or words. It is also taken into account that there are no clear
sources that guarantee that by isolating children from a language they spoke the divine
language that was imposed on us from the beginning, even more so knowing that language
changed in Babel.

4. What is “The Natural Sound Source?”

A// The natural source of sound suggests that children around 7 months are already
able to hear sounds and identify them, this allows them to connect the sound with the
thing that makes the sound, in the same way it tells us that the primitive words of these
are derived of the natural sounds that they hear around them.

a) The “bow-wow” theory: This theory suggests that humans in ancient times imitated
the sound of some objects to refer to them, and it is interesting how this applies to
modernity since currently there are words that refer to objects that make this sound.
However, it is difficult to consider what the natural sound of some such abstract
concepts would be like.

b) The “pooh-pooh” theory: This theory tells us that the spontaneous sounds that we
make due to our emotions are the closest sound sources of language, since when
expressing pain, anger or other emotion, we do not articulate words as we usually
do, but rather we produce them instinctively with sudden breaths.

5. What is “The Social Interaction Source?”

A// In general, the Social Interaction Source is the use of sound to coordinate a specific
activity that people do in groups.

a) The ‘’yo-he-ho’’:The “yo-he-ho” is another name for the Social Interaction Source in
which the development of human language occurs due to the social context. It
means that in the past as in the present to work or live in a group and have
organization and coordination to do a physical activity we need to produce sound
to communicate an idea. However, in the past, primitive people used different
sounds such as grunts instead of speaking to combine with these activities.
6. What is “The Physical Adaptation Source?”

A// The Physical Adaptation Source refers to the change and physical adaptation that the
human being has suffered over time, modifying the production of sound through
different articulating organs.

a) Teeth and lips:They are organs with certain characteristics that enable the
production of sounds. Due to their shape, position and purpose, the teeth of
human beings help the production of sounds such as f and v with the help of the
lips, which, being elastic, allow movement in many directions, helping to form
sounds like p, b and others.

b) Mouth and tongue:The human mouth is a small hole that has a rapid movement to
open and close, collaborating in speech. The tongue is a muscle that allows us to
articulate various sounds inside the mouth.

c) Larynx and pharynx:The larynx is an important part located inside our neck that
contains the vocal cords, which move making sound. Now, the pharynx acts as a
resonator, modifying the sound.

7. What is “The Tool-making Source?”

A// The Tool-making Source is the idea that refers to the place where the orders come
from to control our body. For example, computers receive orders from the central
processing unit with which they perform various tasks, likewise, humans receive orders
from a brain that allows us to carry out different activities, including the use of sound
articulation organs.

a) The human brain:As we explained in the previous statement, the human brain is
what gives the order to move the tongue, lips, mouths, and others to produce a
spoken message.

b) Lateralization of the brain:Lateralization of the brain are the specific functions

performed by the hemispheres (right and left) of the brain. The left hemisphere is
the one that takes on the responsibility of expressing oneself through language.
On the other hand, the right hemisphere is responsible for remembering sounds,
although both participate in body movement.

8. What is “The Genetic Source?”

A// As we have read in this book “The Study of Language” The Genetic Source is the
association of genes that allow human beings to acquire Language. That is to say,
genetically humans have been developing a language since we were born.
 a) Glossogenetics: Is a field of study that combines linguistics and genetics to
explore the genetic bases of language development and variation among
individuals and populations. Its goal is to understand how genetic factors
influence language acquisition, processing, and evolution.

9. According to what you have read and discussed: which is the most plausible hypothesis for
the explanation of Human Language?

A// For us the most plausible hypothesis for the explanation of Human Language is the
genetic source hypothesis because it suggests that humans have an innate biological
capacity for language acquisition.

a) This is a scientific oriented course, so your opinion must be factual, supported by proof.

It is the most logical hypothesis, since there are theories such as the one
proposed by Noam Chomsky called theory of universal grammar, which suggests
that humans are born with innate ability to acquire language and that there is a set
of universal linguistic principles that underlie all human languages. This
hypothesis is supported by evidence from linguistics, cognitive science, and
neuroscience, which suggest that there are common structural features and
cognitive processes underlying language acquisition and use across different
cultures and languages.

10. What kind of proof can you provide to back up your decision and therefore your opinion?

A// One of the most truthful proof is having a newborn child in our house. From the
moment he is born, the child brings the ability to communicate, cries when he is hungry,
cries when he wants to sleep and begins to say "agu" using his own human language. As
he grows and develops, his brain also develops and genetically produces human
language (speech and body language).

Apart from this, there are studies carried out on the mutations of the gene (FOXP2) in
humans and animals, which have provided information on the genetic basis of language.