Introduction to Linguistics and Mental Grammar

• Linguistic Competence: This is your unconscious knowledge of your language. It is the internal ability to recognize which sounds, words, and sentence structures are possible.
• Performance: This is the actual use of language in real-world situations—speaking, signing, listening, or understanding.

It is important to note that performance is often imperfect. You might hesitate, forget a word, or make a slip of the tongue due to tiredness or distraction. These are "performance errors," and they do not mean you lack linguistic competence. For example, you might know the rule for a past-tense verb, but you might stumble over the pronunciation while speaking quickly.

Exam Tip: If a question asks about a speaker making a mistake due to a memory slip, remember that this is a matter of performance, not a lack of competence.

The Components of Mental Grammar

Mental grammar is not a single, monolithic block; it is composed of several interconnected subsystems that handle different aspects of language:

1. Phonetics: The study of the physical properties of speech sounds.
2. Phonology: The study of how sounds pattern and function within a specific language.
3. Morphology: The study of the internal structure of words.
4. Syntax: The study of how words are organized into sentences.
5. Semantics: The study of meaning (how words and sentences convey information).

Two Approaches to Grammar: Prescriptive vs. Descriptive

When discussing "rules," people often fall into one of two camps: prescriptive or descriptive. Understanding the difference is vital for anyone studying linguistics.

Prescriptive Grammar

Prescriptive grammar focuses on the "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts" of language. It establishes formal standards for how people are expected to use language, often labeling certain forms as "correct" and others as "bad". These rules are often based on social prestige, logic, or even the rules of other languages like Latin. For instance, a prescriptive rule might state that you should say "John and I" instead of "Me and John".

Descriptive Grammar

In contrast, descriptive grammar is the approach used in scientific linguistics. It examines how people actually use language in various contexts and among different groups. Descriptive linguists do not judge whether a way of speaking is "correct"; instead, they seek to uncover the systematic patterns underlying how people communicate.

The Principles of Grammar

Linguists operate under several core principles regarding the nature of grammar:

• Generality: Every language and every variety (such as American Sign Language or African American Vernacular English) has a grammar. While the specific rules differ—for example, English relies heavily on word order while the Warlpiri language allows much more flexibility—every language is systematic.
• Parity: All grammars are equal. No language is "primitive" or linguistically inferior to another; all are capable of expressing the full communicative needs of their speakers.
• Mutability: Grammars are not static; they change naturally over time. This change does not represent "deterioration" or "corruption" of the language.
• Inaccessibility: Our grammatical knowledge is unconscious. You cannot simply "think" your way into discovering the complex rules of your native language; you simply know them.
• Universality: Despite their differences, all grammars share certain basic properties and principles, such as using small sets of contrastive sounds to distinguish words.