Design Features of Human Language and Semiotics: An Overview
Design Features of Human Language (Charles Hocket, 1960)
Key Features
- Arbitrariness: The form and meaning of a word-sign are not inherently connected.
- Displacement: People can discuss absent things, past or future events, and imaginary concepts.
- Cultural Transmission: Language is learned, not genetically inherited, and passed down through generations.
- Duality: Language operates on two levels: form (sounds or written symbols) and meaning.
- Productivity (Creativity): New expressions and utterances can be created to convey novel meanings.
- Reflexivity: Language can be used to discuss itself and its components.
Signs and Their Meanings
What is a Sign?
A sign is a fundamental unit of information representation and conveyance, consisting of a form and a meaning.
Relationships Between Form and Meaning
- Iconic Signs (Images): The form resembles the meaning (e.g., a picture of a tree represents a tree).
- Symbolic Signs: The relationship between form and meaning is purely conventional (e.g., the word “tree” represents a tree).
Note: Even iconic signs involve some degree of conventionality and arbitrariness.
Evidence for Grouping of Words
Three Main Considerations
- Movability: Words that consistently move together as a unit likely form a group.
- Contractibility: If a string of words can be replaced by a single word, it suggests a grammatical unit.
- Meaning Differences: Ambiguity in a sentence can often be explained by different word groupings.
Speech vs. Writing
Speech predates writing and is the primary medium for language. Writing is a visual representation of speech and is considered secondary. Linguistics generally focuses on spoken language.
Word Formation Processes
- Typo: Clipping
- Teens: Clipping
- Porn: Clipping
- ASAP: Acronym (As Soon As Possible)
- Reaganomics: Blending (Reagan’s Economics)
- Wordsmith: Compounding
- Galoot: Coinage
- Peddle: Backformation
- Doodad: Coinage
- Karaoke: Borrowing
- Botel: Blending
- AC/DC: Compounding of Acronyms
- Carpeteria: Blending & Borrowing
- Gargantuan: Derivation & Borrowing
- Sandwich: Meaning Extension
- Brolga: Borrowing
- Darwinian: Derivation
- Alcohol: Borrowing
- La-di-da: Coinage (Phonaesthesia)
- Frigidaire: Derivation
Icons and Symbols
Visual Examples
Icons:
Symbols:
Icon: When the sign resembles the meaning.
Symbol: When the form and meaning are related purely by convention.
Ambiguity in Language
Examples of Ambiguous Sentences
- “Be careful of my glasses”: Lexical ambiguity (potential for injury or breakage).
- “Criminal lawyers can be dangerous”: Lexical ambiguity (lawyers who are criminals or lawyers who defend criminals).
- “They’ll hang the prisoner in the yard”: Structural ambiguity (location of the hanging or the prisoner’s location).
- “Helen hates her husband”: Lexical ambiguity (whose husband is being referred to).
- “The pen has fallen down”: Lexical ambiguity (writing pen or pendrive).
- “The kangaroo is ready to eat”: Structural ambiguity (the kangaroo will eat or be eaten).
- “Don’t lie around here”: Lexical ambiguity (telling lies or lying down).
- “You can see the man in the park with binoculars”: Structural ambiguity (using binoculars to see or the man possessing binoculars).
- “Smoking pipes will not be tolerated in this office”: Vague (type of smoking pipes).
- “His photography appears on page two”: Vague/Lexical ambiguity (photograph taken by him or photograph of him).