INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS

MACROSKILLS
1. Reading
2. Listening
3. Writing
4. Speaking
5. Viewing

THEORIES OF LANGUAGE
1. Bow-wow Theory- postulates that the origin of language arose through “onomatopoeia” which in
simpler words, the imitation of sounds in nature.
2. Mama Theory- language began with the easiest syllables or most flexible sounds which are
significant and of outmost importance.
3. Ta-ta Theory- language began as an unconscious vocal imitation of these movements.
4. Pooh-pooh Theory- human language originated from emotional exclamations of pain, pleasure,
surprise, etc.
5. Yo-he-yo Theory- human language emerged from instinctive noises made by humans during
physical exertion, and especially while involved in collective rhythmic labor.
6. La-la Theory- language revolved around playfulness, love, and song, or even a poetic sensibility.
Example: singing lullaby to a baby & serenading your love one.
7. Ding-dong Theory- language began when humans started naming objects after a relevant sound
(explanation) according to this theory, language has originated in the sense of rhythm innate in man.
Example: the sound of the phone when someone is calling.
8. Gesture Theory- the language that humans speak today arose from an earlier form of communication
that was expressed by gestures.

VIEWS ABOUT LANGUAGE

1. STRUCTURALISTS- believe that language can be described in terms of observable and verifiable
data. A system of speech sounds, arbitrarily assigned to the objects, states, and concepts to which
they refer, used for human communication.
 Language is primarily vocal- language is speech, primarily made up of vocal sounds produced by the
speech apparatus in the human body.
 Language is a system of systems- sounds of a language are arranged in certain fixed or established,
systematic order to form meaningful units or words.
 Language is arbitrary- the relationship between words and things they denote is merely conventional.
 Language is a means of communication- is an important means of communicating between humans
of their ideas, beliefs, or feelings.
2. TRANSFORMATIONALISTS/COGNITIVISTS- believe that the language is a system of
knowledge made manifest in linguistic forms but innate and, in its most abstract form, universal.
 Language is innate- the presence of the Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
 Language is creative- it enables native speakers to produce and understand sentences they have not
heard nor used before.
 Language is a mental phenomenon- it is not mechanical
 Language is universal- all normal children the world over acquire a mother tongue but it is also
universal.
3. THE FUNCTIONALISTS-