Knowledge of LanguageCompetence

• Sound system (Phonetics & Phonology)

• Word structure and formation (Morphology)

• Phrase structure and sentence formation (Syntax)

• Meaning (Semantics)

• => Mental Grammar

Knowledge of the Sound System

Wug Test

wug hiff

zeed crav

stope thak

slet frob

Plural Forms?

• wugs “s”=[z]• zeeds “s”=[z]• slets “s”=[s]• hiffs “s”=[s]• cravs “s”=[z]• frobs “s”=[z]• stopes “s”=[s]• thaks “s”=[s]

Rules

• Plural form is [z] after [g, d, b, v]• Plural form is [s] after [k, t, p, f]

• Plural = [z] after voiced sounds• Plural = [s] after unvoiced sounds

• Knowledge of language includes phonological rules.

Knowledge of Word Formation

• employ employ-eremploy-ee

• interview interview-er interview-ee

• read read-able un-read-able

• do do-able un-do-able

Creative Formation of New Words

• shush shush-er shush-ee

• un-shush-able

Knowledge of Structure

• Jane will go to the beach tomorrow.

• => Will Jane go to the beach tomorrow?

• What is the rule?

More Complicated Examples

• Dick and Jane will go to the beach tomorrow.

• => Will Dick and Jane go to the beach tomorrow?

• The girl who is absent today will go to the beach tomorrow.

• => Will the girl who is absent today go to the beach tomorrow?

Knowledge of Meaning

• The relationship between sound and meaning is arbitrary.

• house (English)• bahay (Tagalog)• ie (Japanese)• sapah (Seediq)• jia (Mandarin)

• Knowledge of language includes a mental lexicon.

Prescriptive Grammar

• Artificially imposed standard or norm

• Ex: Do not split an infinitive.

• Yes: ‘To go boldly where ….’

• No: ‘To boldly go where ….’

Descriptive Grammar

• Characterization of the rules of natural language

• ‘To go boldly where ….’• => Adverb modifies only the VP.

• ‘To boldly go where ….’• => Adverb modifies the subject.

• Prescriptive grammar:

• => Not the goal of linguistic study

• Descriptive grammar:

• => Linguists’ object of study