Tutorial_Week2_LING100-002-004_students-1
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University of British Columbia *
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Linguistics
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Jun 6, 2024
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LING 100 Tutorial Week 2 LING 100
Language and Myths/Misconceptions
The first 4 questions (1. Prescriptivism/Descriptivism, 2. Observations/Misconceptions, 3. Language Characteristics, 4. World Languages) are required to be completed and submitted online before Friday January 19 at 9am. The other information on the tutorial are some further exercises that you can try, but are NOT required.
Tutorial Exercises: Required Questions
1.
Prescriptivism vs Descriptivism
We talked in class (and in the readings) about how linguists are interested in descriptive (observations that are described) discussion of language not prescriptive (judgments about what is “correct”). Read the following passage taken from: https://completevocal.institute/vowels-sounds-on-different-languages-2/
“It is very important to make sure that the pronunciation of the vowels is done 100% correctly. Being able to recognise the exact vowel sound is equally important in order for the technique to work in the right way. If you make the wrong vowel sound you might risk not being able to perform certain modes, pitches and sound colours. Therefore, it is very important that you take time to understand exactly which vowel is called for. To do this correctly, spend time learning the vowel sounds from the CVT Sound Library and compare them with the vowels used in English and/or your own language. Different languages and dialects can trick you into thinking that you are using the correct vowel
.[…]
A lot of words have incredible variation between various accents and also some vowel sounds
might not exist in some languages, but even so it is important to get to know the exact vowel sound as heard in the sound examples from the CVT Sound Library as these exact vowel sounds are often a necessary condition in obtaining certain vocal modes. Due to different accents these words may be pronounced in different ways, so I will encourage everyone to listen to the sound examples to get the exact pronunciation we use in this book.”
a)
Identify 2 prescriptive statements, explain why it is prescriptive, and whether it is accurate or not?
Statement: "Therefore, it is very important that you take time to understand exactly which vowel is called for."
This statement highlights the significance of setting aside time to understand the specific vowel sounds needed for successful vocal techniques, making it prescriptive in the sense that it suggests a particular course of action. Although this statement's accuracy is debatable, in the context of vocal training, it tends to be recognised as accurate.
Statement: "If you confuse the various vowel sounds, you might get problems in achieving the modes Curbing, Overdrive, and Edge, therefore be absolutely sure of the exact vowel sound before you start the exercise."
This statement is prescriptive in that it suggests avoiding vowel sound confusion to prevent problems in achieving particular vocal modes. This statement is generally true because learning various vocal techniques requires accurate vowel pronunciation.
1
January 2024
LING 100 Tutorial Week 2 b)
Identify 1 descriptive statement, explain why it is descriptive, and whether it is accurate or not?
Statement: "A lot of words have incredible variation between various accents, and also some vowel sounds might not exist in some languages."
This statement is descriptive because it explains how different accents and the absence of some vowel sounds in certain languages cause words to vary.
2.
Language Observations or Misconceptions
We often talk about language more generically, but how much of what we hear is actually based on true facts? For the following, you can look up information using the course textbook
or online (but be careful that where you look it’s providing you with accurate information). a)
Take a look at the following statements and decide whether you think each is an observation (true) or a misconception (false). b)
For any of the statements that you identified as misconceptions, briefly (one or two sentences) try to explain why they are misconceptions?
o
Spelling in English is basically phonetic.
False : This is a misconception because English spelling is not entirely phonetic.
o
Some languages are naturally harder to learn than others.
True
o
Sign languages have dialects, so that, e.g., some words are signed different ways True
o
People who are fluent in another language may not have complete mastery of their native language.
True
o
Languages seem to have special characteristics or personalities: for example, French is romantic; German is scientific; Russian is soulful; Spanish is hot- blooded; Italian is emotional; Chinese is simple and straightforward; Japanese is mysterious, spiritual, and Zen- like; English is logical; Greek is philosophical, and so on.
False : because attributing specific characteristics or personalities to languages is an oversimplification
2
January 2024
LING 100 Tutorial Week 2 o
All Indigenous people of BC generally speak the same language.
False: Indigenous peoples in British Columbia (BC) represent diverse cultures with distinct languages.
c)
Provide another language misconception that you know or find one about a language that you have a connection to and briefly explain (one or two sentences)
the observations that linguists have made about it.
3.
Characteristics of Languages and Linguistics
a)
In this course, we’ll be looking at how some properties are shared between all languages, and some properties differ between them. ‘Properties’ could refer to anything – pronunciation, word order, types of words, how questions are formed, how
sentences go together, etc.
o
Suggest one property that is shared by all languages (try to be specific)
All languages have a system for expressing negation
.
o
Suggest two properties that you think are different among languages (try to be specific)
Word order and tonal features
b)
Using reliable outside resources, find one linguistic property that either (1) all spoken and Sign languages have in common OR (2) a specific Sign and spoken language have in common. Now find one difference. o
Common property: Both spoken languages and sign languages share the fundamental property of grammar with regards to the rules and structures.
o
Difference: 3
January 2024
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4.
World Languages
If you recall from the lecture, there are approximately 7000 languages in the world! Name one spoken and one Sign language on every continent? Try to think beyond the ‘well-known’
languages of the world (English, French, Mandarin, Russian, Swahili, Tagalog, etc.)
Continent (alphabetical)
Spoken Language
Sign Language
a.
Africa
Swahili
South African Sign language
b.
Asia
mandarin
Japanese sign language
c.
Europe
Spanish
British sign language
d.
North America
English
ASL
e.
Oceania ( Australia)
English
Auslan
f.
South America
Portuguese
LSA
If there is time… (NOT REQUIRED)
I.
Exploring Sounds
Discuss the following questions:
a.
Try to write your name the way that it sounds, using whatever method you would like. Try to make it as accurate to the sounds as possible. Is your name spelled the same way that it sounds?
b.
Think of instances where the spelling is different for the same sound? c.
Think of instances where the spelling is the same, but the sounds are different? II.
Exploring Sentences and Meaning
Discuss the following questions:
a.
Think of two different ways of saying the same thing. b.
For the examples that you gave, do they really mean exactly the same thing? If there are differences, can you think of what the differences are? c.
Think of examples where the same sentence means different things? 4
January 2024