Exam 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exam 3 - Essay Example In the science of linguistics there are hundreds of commonly used terms and abbreviations that help linguists to simply analysis of language. The most fundamental task when looking at the diagram is to define the terms and abbreviations contained in the diagram, logically starting at the top left position and moving to the bottom right along with the flow of the arrows (another communication tool). This will assist the non-linguist onlooker, who can then drawn on his own background—as well as the help given in this paper—to comprehend the meaning of linguistic terms. The most prominent term in the diagram is Lexicon. The lexicon is the vocabulary a language is made up of, which a combination of words and expressions. It is considered to be made up of lexemes, or different forms of the same word or expression (SIL International, 2011). An example would be â€Å"run, runs, ran and running,† a single lexeme. ... The abbreviation LF in linguistics stands for â€Å"logical form† and the abbreviation PF stands for the â€Å"phonetic form†, both of which are listed on the same level indicating that they are semantically equivalent (Freely, 2009). The phonetic form is shown to give rise to the phonetic output, of the literal words communicated, while the logical form gives rise to the linguistic meaning, which relies much more on the background of the speaker as shown by the additional arrows connecting extralinguistic knowledge with the final utterance meaning. The utterance meaning may be understood by the non-linguist, as in the case of the friend given in the exam problem, to be the meaning of a word or phrase. By defining the abbreviations terms given in the diagram, one could explain to a non-linguistic, such as the friend in the problem, that the diagram ultimately represents a way to understand word of phrase meaning in a logical and scientific fashion. In linguistics there are many forms of diagrams. The form demonstrated in this diagram is a flow chart. It is read from top to bottom, and from left to right, which is the standard in western cultures. Because the diagram subject is United States English, this form is the most logical, implying that most people that are to use the chart are also from western societies. If the diagram was aimed at eastern cultures, for instance Chinese or Japanese readers, a right to left orientation would be more appropriate. In the diagram, lexicon is given the highest priority by its placement at the top left. The secondary category defines the language type, US English, which also has the implications that many other languages exist and may be treated by similar diagrams. The child of the language