EL1101E: The Nature of Language

AY2025-26, Sem 2

Week 1: Introduction

Adapted from materials by Dr Lee and Dr Starr.

 Today’s plan

• Teaching team
• What is this course about?
• How does this course work?
• Course logistics
 EL1101 Teaching team

Instructor:

WEI Ruixue (Ms) ruixue.w@[Link]

(you may address me as Ruixue or Ms Wei)

Tutors:
ZENG Hao (Ms) hao_zeng@[Link]
Hasini Damsara MAKAWITA (Ms) [Link]@[Link]
CHAN Ka Wing (Ms) e1583597@[Link]
Alyssa YEO (Ms) [Link]@[Link]
Mark LIM Jing An (Mr) mark_lim@[Link]
 EL1101 Teaching team

ZENG Hao (Ms) Hasini Damsara MAKAWITA (Ms) CHAN Ka Wing (Ms)

Alyssa YEO (Ms) Mark LIM Jing An (Mr)

 What is this course about?

• this is not an English language

communication course

- I am not an English teacher and this

course is not meant to help improve
your ability to communicate in English
 What is this course about?

• it is not specific to the English Language

- we often use examples from English due

simply to convenience
- but the principles you learn here are
applicable to other languages, too
- and we will be looking at data from other
languages as well
 What is this course about?

• This course is mysteriously titled, “The

Nature of Language.”
• A clearer (more straightforward) title
would be, “Introduction to Linguistics.”
 What is linguistics?

• One definition of linguistics: “the

scientific study of human language as a
system.”
 What is linguistics?
• One definition of linguistics: “the scientific study
of human language as a system.”
• Why “scientific”?
 What is linguistics?
• One definition of linguistics: “the scientific study
of human language as a system.”
• Why “scientific”?
- we approach language in an evidence-based
way through observation and data
- we are interested in patterns and rules
- we are descriptive rather than prescriptive
(not judgmental): Standard and non-standard
language varieties are equally systematic and
rule-governed.
 What is linguistics?

• One definition of linguistics: “the scientific study

of human language as a system.”
• Why “as a system”?
 What is linguistics?
• One definition of linguistics: “the scientific study
of human language as a system.”
• Why “as a system”?
- we ask clear questions, and we use consistent
ways of answering them
- we look at many examples, not just one or two
- we make meaningful comparisons across
languages
 What is linguistics?
• goal: understand how human language works by
developing scientific/systematic explanations for
language phenomena (across languages) using
qualitative & quantitative methods
e.g.
- language description, documentation, revitalization
- how are different languages similar/different?
- what happens in the mind/brain when we use language?
- why do different ways of expressing things lead to
different interpretations and outcomes?
- how is the language we speak influenced by social factors?
- do people who speak different languages think differently?
 What is linguistics?
• goal: understand how human language works by
developing scientific/systematic explanations for
language phenomena (across languages) using
qualitative & quantitative methods

• Why “human language”?

 Design features of Language
• Charles Hockett (circa 1960) identified a list of
features (which others later added to) that
something must have in order to be considered as a
‘language’.
• While some of these features are shared by animal
communication systems, Hockett proposed that
human language is unique in having all of them.
• Read more here:
[Link]
_features
 Design features of Language
• Some key features:

- Arbitrariness
-
-
-
Discreteness
3
Rule governedness
Productivity
anlanguagehaallon.
 Hold
Had

Design features of Language

• Arbitrariness: connection between form and
meaning is arbitrary/unpredictable
- The same object has very different names across
languages
- Most words do not resemble what they refer to
• English: dog
• Mandarin: gǒu
• Malay: anjing
• Japanese: inu
• no reason for these specific pairings
of forms and meanings – arbitrary
 Design features of Language
• Arbitrariness: connection between form and
meaning is arbitrary/unpredictable
- Note: what about onomatopoeia?
limited still remainstenary
Iconic elements exist
,

>
- •

• Words like ! try to

sound like what they
describe.
• But……
• Iconicity is limited
• Most forms remain
arbitrary
 E
oto
↑
Design features of Language
• Discreteness: a message is composed of smaller,
distinct functional parts
- e.g. birdsongs, bee dances – can be broken down
into smaller identifiable parts

- cf. vervet monkey calls

– indivisible unitary wholes
 Design features of Language
• Discreteness: a message is composed of smaller,
distinct functional parts
• All languages are made up of discrete units at
various levels of structure:

- Phones [slaɪdz]
- Morphemes slide-s
- Words slides
- Phrases these slides
- Sentences these slides are amazing.
 on
Design
↑ features of Language
• Rule governedness: the discrete units of language
combine in rule-governed ways – all languages
have grammatical patterns.

e.g.
- “I am taller than him” ! “I’m taller than him”
- “He is taller than I am” !*“He is taller than I’m”
 EHIHFE
Design features of Language
• Productivity: relatively small inventory of
discrete elements can be recombined in various
ways to generate an infinite number of messages
• We can use the finite grammar of a language to
compose an infinite number of utterances.
e.g.
- the man saw a woman
- ≠ a woman saw the man
- ≠ a man saw the woman, etc.
- cf. birds and bees – can be broken down into smaller identifiable
parts (discrete) and involve a certain amount of recombining, but the
result is always a variant of the same message (“time to fly”, “there
is food here”)
 What is linguistics?

• Recall: one definition of linguistics: “the

scientific study of human language as a
system.”

• Another definition of linguistics: “the

scientific study of human language as a
system and as a social phenomenon.”
 What do we study in linguistics?

• Linguists study various aspects of the

structure of language, from sound
patterns to narratives.
 What else do linguists study?

• How language is acquired

• How it is processed in the brain
• How it can be processed by computers
• How it changes over time
• How it varies by situation
• How it functions in society
 Some big questions in linguistics

• Do all languages share a common

underlying structure?
• Is the way you think shaped by the
language(s) you speak?
• Is language learned and processed in the
brain differently from other skills?
Is linguistics in the sciences, social
sciences, or humanities?

• Linguistics is at the crossroads of many

disciplines. Different universities classify it
in different ways.
• Many students are drawn to linguistics
because they are interested in both the
sciences and the arts!
 Topics to be covered
1. articulatory phonetics – production of speech sounds
2. phonology – sound patterns
3. morphology – structure of words
4. word classes – categories of words
5. syntax – structure of phrases and sentences
6. semantics – linguistic meaning
7. pragmatics – meaning in context
8. sociolinguistics – language and society
9. psycholinguistics – mental processing of language
[Link] – language and culture
 Why study linguistics?
• language makes us uniquely human
- many other species have the capacity to communicate
using sounds and gestures
• a few can even acquire certain properties of human
language
- but no other species is comparable to humans with respect
to the creativity and complexity of our communicative
system
• language is a unique avenue to investigate a
fundamental aspect of what it is to be human
- understanding the nature of language is crucial to
understanding what it is to be human
 Why study linguistics?
• social role of language
- we speak differently depending on
• who we are,
• where we come from,
• whom we talk to,
• where the conversation takes place,
• what the conversation is about…
- language is a reflection of a speaker’s individual identity
as well as social and cultural aspects of a society
• allow us to learn about human society and social
behaviour
 Why study linguistics?
• practical applications
- education: develop tools/methods for language
instruction
- speech pathology and audiology: understand and
treat speech and language disorders
- forensics: linguistic analysis in law and law
enforcement
- advertising: use of language to
persuade/influence behaviours
 Why study linguistics?
• practical applications
- cryptology: discovery/exploitation of patterns in
language and communication to break/create
codes and ciphers
- computing: speech synthesis, speech
recognition, dialogue systems, machine
translation, generative AI
- metacognition: develop greater awareness when
using language or learning a new one
 How does this course work?
• this class is designed a bit differently from what
you might normally be used to
- ‘lectures’ will be focused around you
- what you understand
• ‘lectures’ will be conducted in such a way to help
both you and me figure out what you understand
and what you might need some more help with
 Traditional classroom
• Traditional class structures often look like this:

• you get very little opportunity for ‘expert feedback’

 Flipping the classroom

• greater opportunity for real time expert feedback!

• you might not fully understand the reading or you might
find the reading challenging
- that is completely normal and okay
- we will work together in class to find out what your
understanding gaps are
• but class will be conducted in a way that assumes basic
familiarity with the ideas to be discussed
 Flipping the classroom
• so how does this work?
- read assigned reading before class
- class will be structured around carefully designed questions
• vote: think for yourself, based on your understanding from
the reading, and select an answer (Poll Everywhere)
• not graded for correctness; only participation
• research shows that you must actively think and construct
your own understanding in order to learn effectively
• the goal is not the answer: it is deep thinking
• there is value even when you choose the wrong
answers
• instructor-led discussion: update/revise/deepen your understanding
based on feedback
 Flipping the classroom
• Reading before class ≠ understanding everything
It means coming ready to think
• we will begin proper next week
- see schedule on syllabus for assigned readings
- all readings have been uploaded to Canvas
(Files ! Course readings)
- because of the way class is conducted, lecture
slides will be uploaded after class
• This is intentional.
It keeps you engaged in class and makes
revision more efficient.
 How to do well in this course?
• I am more interested in your learning than in the
grade that you will get at the end of the course
- unless you really try, it’s next to impossible to
fail this course
- please do not try to map the marks you receive
to any grading scale that you may be
accustomed to – this is not how grading works
at NUS
 How to do well in this course?
• students who do well in this course do at least the
following:
- prepare for class by doing assigned reading
- participate actively in class
- seek clarification at the earliest opportunity
- i.e. they are interested in learning and engaging
with the course content
 How to do well in this course?
• you are the ones doing the learning, doing the
assignments, etc.
- the onus is on you to seek help if/when you need it
• take ownership over your learning by:
- asking questions or asking me to repeat/rephrase
in class
- asking questions on Canvas (Discussions)
- coming to me for consultation
• feel free to email me to set up in-person or
Zoom consultations
- I am not here to “teach”, but to help you learn
About lectures participation (6%)
• In-person lecture participation will be measured
through Poll Everywhere. You must log in to PollEv
at the start of each in-person lecture using your NUS
ID and password and respond to at least 50% of the
PollEv questions in that session.
• Participation in each lecture works out to just
0.5% -- so please think of this as “extra credit”,
and do not get hung up over missing a lecture for
whatever reason.
• Lectures will be recorded for those who miss it
live.
 About problem sets (14%)
• There will be 8 problem sets. 7 will be graded on
a complete/incomplete basis.
• Just submit digital evidence of having attempted
each set before the tutorial session.
• Go to Canvas > Files > Tutorial problem sets
• As long as you make a genuine attempt and
submit it, you can earn the full 14%.
 About tutorials (15%+15%)
• Components: a tutor assessment (15%) and a peer
assessment (15%)

• Attendance at tutorials will contribute to the

tutorial participation mark.

• Active contribution during discussions is also

encouraged as it will enhance both your learning
and your grade.
 About class test (30%)
• The test will consist of multiple choice (MCQ)

• It will take place in-person during the lecture

slot in Week 11.

• The date is fixed and not negotiable.

 About essay (20%)

• You will write a short essay of up to 1,000 words.

• Discuss a feature of Singapore English (or another

dialect or language of your choice)

• Additional information on the essay will be given

later in the semester.
 Course logistics

• Information about the course,

assessments, etc. is all available in the
pdf syllabus on Canvas.
• go to Canvas ! File ! Admin
• Please read the syllabus carefully…
 Next week
Phonetics, Part 1