Chapter 3 Thinking about the Producer

Producer:
In linguistics, language production is the process of translating a thought into written or spoken
language. They control how a text is structured and the language that is used within it. They encode meanings
based on their intentions and what they anticipate the receiver will understand.
Psycholinguists study language production using models like lexical access models and serial models. They also use
research methods like collecting speech errors and elicited production tasks to learn more about language production
and different kinds of speech.
Language production is a highly complex motor behavior. The development of the utterance plan can be more
demanding than speaking itself.
Linguistics aims to discover the science of languages, how they originate and evolved and further how our mind
perceives them to communicate. For those who love learning new languages, this area of study is specifically of
interest as it can help you learn the roots and history of any language thus unravelling the whole world of even the
simplest of a language or dialects. A detailed list of major branches of linguistics, their key features as well as how
you can make a successful career in linguistics.
Phonology Sounds in a speech in cognitive terms
Psycholinguistics Psychological aspects of Language & Linguistics
Sociolinguistics Study of the impact of society on Language & Linguistics
Historical Linguistics Study of evolution and origins of Languages
Computational Linguistics Study of spoken and written language in computations & programming
Applied Linguistics Study of real-life applications of Linguistics
Phonetics Study of sounds in a speech in physical terms
Syntax Study of formation and structure of sentences
Semantics Study of meanings
Morphology Study of the formation of words
Pragmatics Study of the use of language(s)
Comparative Linguistics Study of similar and dissimilar aspects of common-origin languages
Stylistics Study and interpretation of style and tones in Languages
Branches of Linguistics
Here are some variations in linguistics
Pitch and Timbre: are both features of sound, but they are distinct and independent.
Pitch
 Definition: Pitch refers to how high or low a sound is perceived. It is primarily determined by the frequency
of the sound wave, measured in Hertz (Hz). Higher frequencies correspond to higher pitches, while lower
frequencies correspond to lower pitches.
 Examples: A piano key played at a frequency of 440 Hz (the A above middle C) has a specific pitch, and
changing the frequency changes the pitch (e.g., a note at 880 Hz is one octave higher).
Timbre
 Definition: Timbre, often referred to as the "color" or "quality" of sound, is what makes two sounds with the
same pitch sound different. It is influenced by the waveform of the sound wave, the harmonic content, and
how the sound is produced (e.g., the instrument or voice).
 Examples: A note played on a violin sounds different from the same note played on a flute, even though both
notes may have the same pitch. This difference in sound quality is due to timbre.

Lexical variation refers to the different words and phrases we use to refer to the same objects/concepts. For
example, sofa for speakers from the south, couch for speakers from the north, and settee for speakers from the
Midlands. Suppose you are putting on a pair of trousers made of strong blue cloth, such as are worn especially for
work or as an informal kind of dress. Various lexical alternatives then suggest themselves: jeans, blue jeans, trousers,
pants. For example, speakers of English may use different accents, words, grammar, and expressions depending on
where they live, who they interact with, and what situation they are in. In a lexical feature, the data found is in the
form of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, compound noun, and word family. While, on the results of the analysis of
grammatical feature, there are adjective markers and sentence structure such as simple present tense, simple future
tense and of the present perfect tense.
Linguists are thoroughly interested in all human languages, both spoken and signed, and they analyze their different
aspects, including:

Descriptive Linguistics is the study of how language is constructed. Within this field of study, the words phonology,
morphology, and syntax are often used. Phonology is the study of how the sounds in a language are used.

Prescriptive Linguistics an account of how a language should be used instead of how it is actually used; a
prescription for the `correct' phonology and morphology and syntax and semantics. antonyms: descriptive
linguistics.
Grammatical Variations Grammatical variations refer to differences in the use and structure of language based on
geographical location, age, ethnicity, class, gender, occupation and other social parameters. For example, there are
occupational dialects (the word bugs mean something quite different to a computer programmer and an
exterminator), sexual dialects (women are far more likely than men to call a new house adorable), and educational
dialects (the more education people have, the less likely they are to use.
Grammatical variation includes Syntactical and morphological variations and as grammar it includes both Syntax
and Morphology. Syntax is the arrangement of the words and phrases to create well formed sentence in a language
or it is a way in which words are put together to form a sentence. Morphology is the study of the internal structure of
words. In the example of the word smallest, the two segments small and -Est come together to make a complete
word. Moreover, studying morphology introduces you to new morphemes, which expands your vocabulary and
teaches you brand-new words. A morpheme is the smallest part of a word that still has a meaning. For example, the
word tree is a morpheme, but if you shorten it to tr or ee, it loses all meaning.
There are two types of morphemes: Free morphemes, Bound morphemes
The smallest example is made up of one of each of these types of morphemes.
Small – is a free morpheme
-est – is a bound morpheme
Inflectional morphemes are morphemes that add grammatical information to a word. When a word is inflected, it
still retains its core meaning, and its category.
Language and Identity:
Languages symbolize identities and are used to signal identities by those who speak them. People are also
categorized by other people according to the language they speak. People belong to many social groups and have
many social identities. Language serves as a reflection of cultural identity, capturing the shared values, traditions,
and beliefs of a particular group. The vocabulary, grammar, and expressions used in a language often reflect the
cultural nuances and experiences of its speakers.
In standard English has covert prestige and overt prestige. In simplest terms, “overt” means “apparent”, or
“visible”. “Covert” means “hidden” or “concealed”.
Mood:
Mood is an internal state of feeling that is less intense and lasts longer than emotions. Affect is how you
express your emotions and mood. Emotions can be outwardly expressed, while mood cannot. Some examples of
mood are sad, depressed, detached, and peaceful.
There are three types of mood in discourse to study: declarative, interrogative and imperative.
The Declarative mood is used to indicate something, to suggest something, opinion or idea.
Example: Subject + Verb + Object
 I / like / mangoes.
The interrogative mood is a grammatical form of the verb that is used to ask questions for example, did you do the
assignment?
Have you ever been there before?
Interrogative mood has rhetorical questions. Rhetorical question is a question that is asked for effect or to make a
point, rather than to get an answer.
The imperative mood is a verb form used to express a command or to give advice or instructions. e.g. wash the
dishes.
Declaratives have propositional meaning and non-propositional meaning. Prepositional phrases provide
descriptions of people and things, and information about their locations, relationships, and existence in time. Non-
propositional meaning that cannot be easily expressed as a simple true-or-false statement. For example, “Close the
door", and "Is its hot outside?
Stance a way of thinking about something, especially expressed in a publicly stated opinion. "Stance" literally refers
to where you stand - your position, argument or thesis. In reviewing other work, you need to make it clear to the
reader if your attitude is positive or negative.