Linguistic performance
Encyclopedia
In linguistics
, performance has two senses:
It is also one of the two elements in Chomsky's
performance-competence distinction, which relates to Language production
(parole), with an emphasis upon how this is different from Competence
, or the mental knowledge of language itself. Linguistic performance does not simply reflect the intrinsic sound-meaning connections established by the system of linguistic rules. It involves many other factors, such as extra-linguistic beliefs concerning the speaker and the situation play a fundamental role in determining how speech is produced, identified and understood. Furthermore, it is governed by principles of cognitive structure such as memory limitations, distractions, shifts of attention and interest, and errors (random or characteristic) that are technically not considered to be aspects of language.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, performance has two senses:
- (1) A technique used in phoneticsPhoneticsPhonetics is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech, or—in the case of sign languages—the equivalent aspects of sign. It is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds or signs : their physiological production, acoustic properties, auditory...
whereby aspiring practitioners of the subject are trained to control the use of their vocal organs - (2) A term used in the linguistic theory of transformational generative grammarGenerative grammarIn theoretical linguistics, generative grammar refers to a particular approach to the study of syntax. A generative grammar of a language attempts to give a set of rules that will correctly predict which combinations of words will form grammatical sentences...
, referring to language being seen as a set of specific utterances produced by nativeNativeThe term "native" can have many different social and political connotations in different contexts. In some cases it is a neutral, descriptive term, for example, when stating that one is a native of a particular city or that a certain language is one's native language...
speakers
It is also one of the two elements in Chomsky's
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
performance-competence distinction, which relates to Language production
Language production
In psycholinguistics, language production is the production of spoken or written language. It describes all of the stages between having a concept, and translating that concept into linguistic form...
(parole), with an emphasis upon how this is different from Competence
Linguistic competence
Linguistic competence is the system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language, it is in contrast to the concept of Linguistic performance, the way the language system is used in communication...
, or the mental knowledge of language itself. Linguistic performance does not simply reflect the intrinsic sound-meaning connections established by the system of linguistic rules. It involves many other factors, such as extra-linguistic beliefs concerning the speaker and the situation play a fundamental role in determining how speech is produced, identified and understood. Furthermore, it is governed by principles of cognitive structure such as memory limitations, distractions, shifts of attention and interest, and errors (random or characteristic) that are technically not considered to be aspects of language.