Language Notes: The Complete Edition

1. The Three Components of Language
Rule-governed {grammar, vocabulary(both are arbitrary)}
Intended (All language is communication, but not all communication is language)
Creative and Open-ended (can be added to and changed) (words can be added; like Algebra [from Arabic] , quiz [made up by teacher] , kindergarten [from Germany] and obscene [from Shakespeare]

Theories of Meaning
2. Definition Theory
The broad understanding of a word (the word's definition from a dictionary)
3. Denotation Theory
What the word literally means (Germany- country in central Europe)
4. Image Theory
What comes to mind when you hear a word (France- Eiffel Tower)

Problems with Language
5. Vagueness
Word isn't specific (slow, fast, near)
6. Ambiguity
One word can have two or more meanings (fantastic, Hitler)
7. Secondary Meaning
Denotation-
Primacy (actual definition)
Connotation-
Web of associations that are triggered by word (what you think of)
Euphemisms-
Other words used to soften the blow (he lost his lunch)
8. Metaphor
A comparison that doesn't use like or as (his head's in the cloud's)
9. Irony (we call it sarcasm)
Saying one thing while meaning another (yeah, your really working hard)

Problems with Translation
10. Untranslatable Words
Some languages have words that have no equivalent in other languages (cool, awesome)
11. Idioms
All languages have sayings (don't beat around the bush; early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise) that cannot be translated literally into another language due to mistranslations and confusion because they won't mean the same thing in both languages.

12. Labels
Groups we place people in- where they "fit"
13. Stereotypes
Things that people say about groups- a certain group is seen as all being the same, a characteristic they all have.
14. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (have not covered)

Emotionally Laden Language
15. Emotive Meaning
words that have underlying meaning- has emotional meaning
16. Weasel Words
words that leave you room to "get out"; wiggle room; room to escape
17. Grammar
the rules that govern written language have no effect on spoken language
18. Revealing and Concealing
words that reveal something