Part Five V › Division I I › Section 514 514

Language and Communication

Subject Outline

ACommunication as a foundation of human culture and as the essential element in social and cultural interaction, the role of communication in the modification of human behaviour
BNonverbal communication
- 1Communication by means of bodily gestures and posture, by facial expression
- 2Laughter and nonword sounds as communication
- 3The use of signals, signs, symbols, icons, and cultural artifacts
- 4Cybernetic communication: computer languages, human language-computer interfaces, and artificial intelligence and expert systems
- 5Parapsychological forms of communication: telepathy [see 432.H.]
CThe nature of language
- 1Definitions of language
- 2Ways of studying language: phonetics, grammar, semantics
- 3Language variants: dialects, slang, and specialized variants (e.g jargon, pidgins, creoles)
- 4Speech: the psychological and physiological bases
- 5Meaning and style in language: structural and lexical meanings; semantic flexibility; language and conceptualization; style
- 6Language and culture: transmission of language; language and social differentiation; control of language for cultural ends; language learning and literacy; written language and spoken language
- 7Linguistic change and language typology
- 8Cryptology: codes, ciphers, and other means of encrypting language
DThe structure of speech and language
- 1The phonetics of speech (articulatory, acoustic, linguistic); phonetic transcription; experimental phonetics
- 2The physiology of speech: regulators (respiratory and brain functions); the larynx; voice production (including synthetic voice production)
- 3Speech disorders
EWritten language: systems of notation
- 1The nature, origin, and evolution of writing: from pictures to the alphabet
- 2Types of writing systems: logographic, syllabic, consonantal, alphabetic, featural
- 3Systems of writing: hieroglyphic, cuneiform, alphabetic, ideographic
- 4Adjuncts to writing: punctuation, shorthand
- 5Calligraphy and the art of handwriting: early Semitic, Arabic, Greek, Latin, Indie, East Asian
FLinguistics: the scientific study of language and language development [see also 10/36 H.]
- 1The development of linguistic theory
- 2Synchronic linguistics: structural, transformational-generative grammar, tagmemics, stratificational grammar, the Prague school
- 3Diachronic linguistics: linguistic change, comparative method, language classification
- 4Dialectology and the study of linguistic geography
- 5Semantics: the study of language and meaning
- 6The study of writing
- 7The classification of language
GLanguage and society
- 1Attitudes toward language: taboos in language use, myths about the origin of language, the relation of language and thought
- 2The connection of language with history, the role of language in the transmission of culture
- 3The role of language in cross-cultural relations
- 4The use of language as a political instrument
- 5The role of language in unifying social and occupational groups
HLanguages of the world
- 1Indo-European languages
  - aAnatolian
  - bIndo-Iranian
  - cGreek
  - dItalic
  - eRomance
  - fGermanic
  - gArmenian
  - hTocharian
  - iCeltic
  - jBaltic
  - kSlavic
  - lAlbanian
- 2Uralic languages
  - aFinno-Ugric
  - bSamoyedic
- 3Altaic languages
  - aTurkic
  - bMongolian
  - cManchu-Tungus
- 4Dravidian languages
  - aSouth Dravidian
  - bCentral Dravidian
  - cNorth Dravidian
- 5Austroasiatic languages
  - aMon-Khmer
  - bMunda
- 6Sino-Tibetan languages
  - aChinese
  - bTibetic
  - cBurmic
  - dBaric
  - eKarenic
- 7Hmong-Mien (Miao-Yao) language
- 8Tai languages
  - aSouthwestern Tai
  - bCentral Tai
  - cNorthern Tai
- 9Paleo-Siberian languages
  - aNivkh
  - bYukaghir
  - cChukchi
  - dKoryak
  - eItelmen
  - fKet
- 10Caucasian languages
  - aSouth Caucasian
  - bNorth Caucasian
- 11Afro-Asiatic languages
  - aSemitic
  - bEgyptian
  - cBerber
  - dCushitic
  - eChadic
- 12Korean language
- 13Japanese language
- 14Austronesian languages
  - aFormosan
  - bWestern Malayo-Polynesian
  - cCentral Malayo-Polynesian
  - dSouth Halmahera-West New Guinea
  - eOceanic
- 15Papuan languages
- 16Australian Aboriginal languages
- 17African languages
  - aNiger-Congo
  - bChari-Nile and Nilo-Saharan
  - cKhoisan
- 18Indian languages of North America
  - aEskimo-Aleut
  - bNa-Dene
  - cMacro-Algonquian
  - dMacro-Siouan
  - eHokan
  - fPenutian
  - gAztec-Tanoan
- 19Indian languages of Meso-America
  - aUto-Aztecan
  - bTequistlatec
  - cTlapanec
  - dOto-Pamean
  - ePopolocan
  - fMixtecan
  - gZapotecan
  - hChinantecan
  - iMixe-Zoque
  - jTotonacan
  - kMayan
  - lMisumalpan
- 20Indian languages of South America and the Caribbean
  - aArawakan
  - bCariban
  - cMacro-Chibchan
  - dMacro-Ge
  - eMacro-Pano-Tacanan
  - fQuechumaran
  - gTucanoan
  - hTupian
- 21Language isolates
  - aSumerian
  - bEtruscan
  - cBasque
- 22Pidgins and creoles
- 23Constructed languages
  - aSpecial international or universal languages, including Esperanto and Interlingua; Basic English