Abstract
This chapter moves from a descriptive characterization of language to examine attempts to provide a predictive explanation. We note the important distinction between phoneme and phone, according to whether a distinction was recognizable in the entire potential human speech repertoire and significant or not in a particular actual language. Phonology provided a basis for analyzing the sound systems of language, building from this distinction. Tagmemics extends this analysis to encompass the entirety of linguistically significant human behaviour, expanded and refocussed to include each level, hierarchy and perspective. Context, contrast and equivalence not only have roles in analysis of language but have potential functionality in language learning and development. The same features which help us distinguish between languages as analysts and learners of second languages would seem obvious candidates for a similar role as learners of a first language. The analysis traditionally applied to adult language can also be applied to child language, and proves consonant with the idea of consistent adherence to child grammars rather than just incorrect usage of adult grammar. The most simple of these supposed grammars can add insights to our view of language. We conclude the chapter with a discussion of the generalized and relatively dynamic tagmemic features introduced by Pike, and an illustrative consideration of the basic units of the phonological, grammatical and orthographical hierarchies.
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Powers, D.M.W., Turk, C.C.R. (1989). The Mechanics of Language. In: Machine Learning of Natural Language. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1697-4_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1697-4_9
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