#03 Introduction to LInguistics

SUMMARY OF LECTURE: Phonology: encoding words

This lecture was all about the acoustic (phonemes) and visual (graphemes) encoding of words.

My notes are almost indecipherable: a page full of pictures and scribbles. However, still recognisable is a diagram of a tongue moving upwards and underneath that there are several lines of the same sentence spelt forwards, backwards and upside down. In a broad sense these two elements of my notes represent the main themes of the lecture: Pronunciation and Spelling! The tongue represents the acoustic/pronunciation (phonemes) and the sentences the visual/written (graphemes).

For more detailed information check the slides:

http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/gibbon/Classes/Classes2007WS/ITL/03-IntroPhonology.pdf

HOMEWORK

Tasks

● Define:

– syllable = a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or part of a word; for example, there are two syllables in wa|ter and three in in|fer|no.

– phoneme = any of the perceptually distinct units of sound in a specified language that distinguish one word from another, for example p, b, d, and t in English words pad, pat, bad, and bat.

● Find examples of 5 not-too-short words

– transcribe them (don’t worry about accuracy - maybe check in a

web dictionary)

1. miscellaneous

2. noxious

3. erinaceous

4. synecdochically

5. onomasiological

– divide them into syllables

1. mis|cel|lan|eous

2. no|xious

3. er|in|a|ceaus

4. syn|ec|doch|ic|ally

5. on|o|ma|sio|lo|gi|cal

Task:

· make a list of 5 spelling rules

1) How to handle a final e when adding a suffix or verb ending.

2) How to add a suffix or verb ending when a word ends in y.

· If the word has a consonant before the y, change the y to i.

Example: mercy + less = merciless

· If the word has a vowel before the y, keep the y.

Example: employ + ed = employed

3) How to make nouns plural.

· Words that end in ss, sh, ch or x add es.

Example: switch = switches

· Words that have a consonant before a final y, change the y to i before adding es.

Example: summary = summaries

· Most nouns ending in f or fe add s. However, some change the f to v and add s or es. There is no rule to follow here.

Examples:	belief = beliefs
	half = halves

· Most nouns ending in o add s. However, some add es. There is no rule to follow here.

Examples:	studio = studios
	cargo = cargoes

4) Remember this poem to decide if a word should be spelled ie or ei.

Put i before e

Except after c

Or when it sounds like a

As in neighbor or neigh.

5) Sometimes words have silent letters. These follow patterns that can be memorized.

Examples: gn, pn, kn= n
gnome	pneumonia	knife

Examples: rh, wr = r
rhyme	wrestle

Examples: pt, ght = t
ptomaine	height

Examples: ps, sc = s
psalm	science

Example: wh = h
whole

http://www.mc3.edu/aa/lal/workshops/wksp_spelling/spellingrules.html

· make a list of 5 main spelling problems = see above

English and German: comparison

● Pronunciation:

– List

● the consonants of German which do not occur in English

tzt, pf, ch (as in ich), st/sp

● the consonants of English which do not occur in German

th as in the

● the vowels of German which do not occur in English

ä, ü, ö,

● the vowels of English which do not occur in German

● Spelling:

– List

● the characters of German which do not occur in English

no e on end for example ‚positiv’ und ‚negativ’

● the characters of English which do not occur in German

ough, ious,

● 5 English graphemes containing more than one character

● 5 German graphemes containing more than one character

GLOSSARY

Phonemes: acoustic encoding

Graphemes: visual encoding

LINKS

TRIVIA

Ghoti = fish: Pronounce the gh as in tough, the o as in women and the ti as in nation.
Blend these sounds and you get fish - George Bernard Shaw

03 How To Make A Dictionary 30/10/2007 - The Architecture of a Dictionary

SUMMARY OF LECTURE:

First we discussed types of dictionaries we know, in particular internet dictionaries. I still don’t know which internet dictionaries are useful or reliable. Maybe something to research!

The video of Erin McKean was funny. She is an intelligent lexicographer, entertaining and very cute!

HOMEWORK

Revision: megastructure, macrostructure

● What is the

– Megastructure = is the entire structure of the dictionary, including the front matter, abbreviations and explainations of grammar.

– Macrostructure = is the organization of lexical entries into the body of a dictionary into

a) lists

b) trees

c) networks

of a lexicon? Give examples.

● What is a

– Semasiological = you have word and are looking for the meaning i.e. reader's dictionary, decoding dictionary.

– Onomasiological = have meaning and are looking for the word i.e. writer's dictionary, encoding dictionary.

dictionary? Give examples

Questions: megastructure

· Give examples of the kinds of information contained in each of these structure types.

Ø The front matter = metadata, content, preface, instructions of use, etc.

Ø abbreviations and explanations of grammar = CIA (abbrev.) Central Intelligence Agency: a federal….djahsidhasiu. Adverb etc

Ø the body of the dictionary = Words from A-Z

Ø the back matter =

Question: macrostructure

· Are semasiological macrostructures more like lists, trees, or networks? Lists (a-z)

Revision: microstructure

● What is the microstructure of a dictionary? Microstructure is the consistent organization of lexical information within lexical entries in the dictionary.

● What kind of lexical information is contained in a dictionary's microstructure? The properties of linguistic units such as: Form (Semantics, Pragmatics), Structure (Syntax, Morphology) and Content/Rendering (Pronunciation, Orthography)

● Describe the two dimensions of types of lexical information. a) Onomasiological: you have meaning and are looking for the word. b) Semasiological: you have word and are looking for meaning.

● How do you define “definition”? Definition is the statement of the exact meaning of a word. Give examples: Merkin (noun) artificial covering of hair for the pubic area.

Questions: microstructure

• How many types of lexical information can you find? 3, Form (cf. appearance), Structure (cf. formulation), Content (cf. meanings)
• Is the microstructure of a semasiological dictionary typically a list, a tree or a network? Tree, because the definition is first detailed and minimal like the ‘trunk’ then it examples and other information ‘branches out’, giving a broader definition of the words.
• What kind of structure do the combined macrostructure and microstructure of a semasiological dictionary have? Network, because of the arrangement of intersecting definitions.
• And an onomasiological dictionary? List Structure (listing of synonyms in a thesaurus) and Network Structure because each word is linked by definition.

Revision: mesostructure

● What is the mesostructure of a dictionary? the set of relations between lexical entries and other entries.

● Give examples for mesostructural elements concerning

Ø Types of information with reference to the sign model:

Modality: orthography, phonology(pronunciation i.e. eddy ed.dy

Grammar: POS, Gender, Morphology, Inflection Class i.e. ‘edi, n ed|dy

Object semantics: Definition: a circular movement of water, wind, dust, smoke, etc.

Ø Linguistic description references: use of abbreviations for parts of speech, characterizations of spelling, mini-grammar. i.e. etc. n

Ø Cross-references between related entries: co-hyponyms (synonyms, antonyms…) circular movement?

Ø Corpus references: the little paper boat was caught in an eddy and spun around and around in the water.

Task:

● Take one of your dictionaries, and describe in as much detail as possible its

– megastructure: none

– macrostructure: search engine

– microstructure: onomasiological

– mesostructure: Types of information: orthography, Grammar, Definition, Morphology

Linguistic description: pl.; no obj.

Corpus references: the mists from the river eddied round the banks

Dictionary: Sharp electronic Oxford Dictionary of English

GLOSSARY

Megastructure: mega|structure (noun) the entire structure of the dictionary, including the front matter, abbreviations and explainations of grammar.

Macrostructure: macro|structure (noun) organization of lexical entries into the body of a dictionary. For example into lists, trees and networks.

Microstructure: micro|structure (noun) the consistent organization of lexical information within lexical entries in the dictionary. For example form, structure and content.

Mesostructure: meso|structure (noun) the set of relations between lexical entries and other entries. Origin meso meaning middle or intermediate

Metadate: (noun) a set of data that describes and gives information about other data i.e. publication details, contents

Semasiology: the branch of knowledge that deals with concepts and terms that represent them. For example you know the word and are looking for its meaning.

Onomasiology: the branch of knowledge that deals with terminology, in particular contrasting terms or similar concepts, an in a thesaurus.

Synecdoche: a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa , as in England lost by six wickets (meaning ‘the English cricket team)

Polysemy: the coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase. Origin: poly- many + Greek sema ‘sign’.

erinaceaous: pertaining to the hedgehog family

Serendipity: occurrence and development of the events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

LINKS

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/161

TRIVIA

Life is a cold Lasagna – Emo song

‘Internet = words + enthusiasm’ – Erin McKean

‘ham–butt problem’: the ham was originally too big for the pan, so the butt was cut off.

Wiebke: weib!

02 Introduction to Linguistics 24/10/2007

SUMMARY OF LECTURE:

I am not going to spend another hour summarizing my notes for this lecture as I have just done for ‘How to make a Dictionary’. I am merely going to do homework and glossary sections. The rest can be read in the slides as usual:

http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/gibbon/Classes/Classes2007WS/ITL/02-HistoryOfEnglish-FromPIEtoModE.pdf

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

HOMEWORK:

Where did the Celts originate? Europe and Asia Minor in pre-Roman times. Dev

● Name 3 Celtic town names in the area of modern

Germany and give their meanings

1. Halle: salt
2. Remagen: King’s Field
3. Tuebingen: (dubo) dark, black

● Where do the Celts live now? Irish, Highland Scottish, Manx, Cornish, Welsh.

● What is their significance for English studies? –

– historically: Origin of Language and People migration

– currently: agr I cant stand this question, because it is too broad!

Find examples for each of these concepts:

Grimms Law (pàf) pedis(latin)àfuss, foot, fod(Danish)

Verners Law Faber à Brober (fàb)(pàd)(sàz)(xàg)

High German Sound Shift Appel/Apfel, Dorp/Dorf

Great Vowel Shift make, feet, mice, boot, mouse

GLOSSARY:

Etmology history of words

LINKS

TRIVIA: sasnach = Scottish word for the ‘british’

02 How To Make A Dictionary 23/10/2007 - On definint 'Definition'

SUMMARY OF LECTURE: On defining ‘Definition’ 23^rd Oktober

Types of Definitions: a)associative – ie word groups in a thesaurus.

b) contextual – i.e. example given in sentence form

Basic Definition Types: Good =

· standard dict. def. = X is a Y kind of Z

· contextual def.

· recursive def.

· real def.

Bad= Circle def. e.g. A rose is a rose is a rose – Gertrude Stein

Standard Dictionary Definitions:

Definitio per [ genus proximum] et [differentia specifica]

Definition by [ nearest kind ] and [specific differences ]

genus proximus= toaxonomy i.e. animal

/ | \

Dog

/ \

Poodle Terrier

Types of Dictionaries: a) semasiological – you have word and are looking for its meaning

e.g. Readers Dictionary, decoding dict.

b) onomasiological – you have meaning and are looking for word

e.g. thesaurus, writers dictionary, encoding...

Dictionary Information:

FORM à appearance à spelling, pronunciation

STRUCTURE à formulation à construction, place of words, e.g. sentences

CONTENT à meaning à definition, relation with other words, examples

SLIDES: http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/gibbon/Classes/Classes2007WS/HTMD/htmd02-definitions-v01a.pdf

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: None, this lecture was totally unimportant ;-)

HOMEWORK:

Open Ended QUIZ

● What is a dictionary? A book that lists the words of a language in alphabetical order and gives their meaning, or gives the equivalent words in a different language.

● What kinds of dictionary are there? Too many, just to name a few: Thesaurus, Readers Dictionary, Writers Dictionary, En/Decoding Dictionary … Then theres the different publishers i.e. Oxford Dictionary

● What is the difference between a semasiological (1)dictionary and an onomasiological (2)dictionary? 1 = you have word and are looking for its meaning. 2 = you have meaning and are looking for a word.

● What other kinds of dictionaries are there? Lexicons

● What is Text Linguistics? ‘A branch of Linguistics which deals with texts as communications systems’ – www.wikipedia.com

● What is Applied Text Linguistics? Puts Text Linguistig theories into practice

● What are the main kinds of information in a dictionary? General information.

● Give examples of

– FORM information = see above

– STRUCTURE information

– CONTENT information

● What is the main kind of information which dictionary

users are generally interested in?semasiological dictionaries

● Find dictionary defintions of 5 different words of different

parts of speech, and

– give examples of genus and differentia specifica

– give examples of other kinds of definition

1. Hat: (noun) a shaped covering(genus proxies) for the head worn for warmth, as a fashion item, or as part of a uniform.

2. Run: (verb) move at a speed faster than a walk(genus proximus), never having both or all feet on the ground at the same time (differentia specifica)

3. Fabulous: (adjective) 1) extraordinary, especially 2) having no basis in reality; mythical

4. zero: (cardinal number) quantity or number; nought; the figure 0

5. Canada: the second-largest country in the world, covering the entire northern half or North America with the exception of Alaska; pop. 31,902,268 (Est. 2002) ; official languages, English and French; capital, Ottawa

GLOSSARY:

Lexis: vocals

Orthography: spelling

Phonology: sound/pronunciation

Morphology internal structure

Syntax external structure i.e. parts of speech

Syllogism an instance of form of reasoning in which conclusion is drawn from two given or assumed positions i.e. dictionaries are texts, texts have meanings = (therefore) dictionaries have meanings.

Taxonomy the classification of sth. ; a scheme of classification

LINKS:

TRIVIA: The CEO founder of the Oxford English Dictionary is called Prof. Onions

Quote of the Day: ‘ey I need a walking dictionary’ –young miss gibbon

01# Introduction to Linguistics 17/10/2007

SUMMARY OF LECTURE
http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/gibbon/Classes/Classes2007WS/ITL/

Repetition of course specifics with Gibbon plus Overview on topics, which are Language History, Language in Society, Language and the Mind, Building Blocks of Language and Applied Linguistics.

• Comparison between the brain and computer : computers are faster, brains can complete more parallel tasks.
  
• Signs are primarily processed by the subconscious brain
• Index signs = hand signals such as pointing with the INDEX finger.
  

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Tutorial: Thu 14:30-16:00 C01-273

HOMEWORK
www.mapsofworld.com
TASKS

1) Quiz

? Why is a portfolio important?

a) easier interaction with professor
b) means of becoming familiar with electronic media
c) source of material for class

? What should a portfolio contain, and how are these
components defined?

summaries of lecture
tasks
reports
glossary
technical terms

? Why should the portfolio be on a website?

Easier interaction with professor and other students.

? How do you make a website?

a) Run your own web server
– for example on a DSL line, with the Apache server
– save your HTML files
b) Use the university website
– and upload your HTML files
c) Use another web service provider
– and upload your HTML files
d) Use blogging software
– and make a weblog (blog)

2) What are the following and how old are they?

a) Indo-European: relating to the family of languages spoken over the greater part of Euope and Asia as far as northern India (3,000 years old)
b) Proto-Germanic: The unrecorded ancient language from which East-Germanic, North-Germanic and West-Germanic developed. Thought to have been spoken on the shores of the Baltic Sea in the 3rd millennium BC.
c) Old English: The language of the Anglo-Saxons (up to about 1150), an inflected language with a Germanic vocabulary, very different from modern English.
d) Middle English: the English language from c. 1150 to c. 1470.
e) Early Modern English: the English language from c. 1500 to c.1650. (Shakespeare)

3) Provide examples of similar words in each of these:

Am i a Pseudoscientific comparative Linguist??? I think not...yet!

4) What are the main differences between English and
German?

syntax: word arrangement
declination of articles
gender determination within word
Formal pronoun and verb form ie Du hast, Sie haben vs. you have, Thou hast

TRIVIA
"boah ey voll hohl"

#01 How To Make A Dictionary 16/10/2007 Dafydd Griffon

SUMMARY OF LECTURE
This introductory lecture started at a most friendly time of 8 am on a Tuesday morning. I recall feeling like a zombie (in good company) and definitely not ready to take on the difficult task of creating a dictionary. However, all seemed more relaxed than I expected when my ears were pleasantly lulled by soft classical guitar music, which we later were informed was a piece by Davie Graham called 'Angie'. Prof. Gibbon, if you happen to read this I thought that was a great idea and would be pleased if you carry on this excellent extra-lectural wake up tradition. I also wouldnt say no to some Monty Python Nonsense to spam my brain into action.

Slides 1-21 http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/gibbon/Classes/Classes2007WS/HTMD/

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Due: Web page by end of October
Tutorials: Mon 10-12 C01-127; Wed 14-16 C01273

HOMEWORK
Define the word 'definition':
1) a statement of the exact meaning of a word, especially in a dictionary
- an extract statement or description of the nature, scope or meaning of sth.
- (mass noun) the action of process of defining sth.
2) (mass noun) the degree of distinctness in outline of an object, image or sound i.e. high-defintion TV ....

GLOSSARY
hypertext: any document on the web
pragmatics: branch of linguistics dealing with language in use and the contexts in which it is used. 'Style and Gestures'
sematics: meaning and content
definition: a statement of the exact meaning of a word, especially in a dictionary

TRIVIA
- Gibbon is interested in the idea of a Dictionary of Gestures!
- Internet Orientated and regards IT technitions highly "give the guy a hand, they are geniouses'
- In the Name of the Rogues- Robert Ecko (no information on Google - does this book and author exist?)

LINKS
http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/~gibbon/Classes/portfolios.html <-- info on portfolio