Linguistics 202
Nathan Vaillette

SPEECH AND WRITING

Some people think of wrinting as more perfect, and thus a better
representative of language; but linguists concentrate on speech,
seeing writing as just a way to encode speech.

Why do people think of writing as "more perfect"?

1. Planning:

   Writing can be thought through and edited, giving a more polished
   appearance.

2. Association with education
  
3. Longevity:
   
   Writing lasts longer and thus seems more permanent.

Why linguists consider speech primary:

1. Everyone speaks, not everyone writes

2. Writing is later development

2. Writing must be taught whereas speech is just "picked up"; thus
   somehow a part of human nature

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ARBITRARINESS IN LANGUAGE

- connection between form and meaning in language is usually just
  *arbitrary*: can't predict one on basis of other.  This is shown by
  differences between languages and language change.

- Note: when we talk about "predicting" the meaning of a word, imagine
  that we knew everything else about the language except that word.
  It's meaning is (somewhat) predictable if you could still guess
  (something about) its meaning from its form; otherwise it's
  (totally) arbitrary.

- contrast with *iconicty*: symbol is somehow like what it represents
  (e.g. a deer crossing sign) 

A few aspects of language aren't totally arbitrary:

- *onomatopoea*

- *sound symbolism*:
  "little vowels" (like 'ee' in 'wee') for small things