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Essay on Linguistics Morphology
One of the first problems which will confront the reader new to the area of linguistics is the variety of terms under which the same or related types of research are conducted. There are computational linguistics, mathematical linguistics, statistical linguistics, and mechano-linguistics, to name the more popular ones. The one element common to these closely related areas is the computer algorithmic techniques.Research has shown that the morphology of sign languages is similar to that of spoken languages. However, there are morphological features specific to languages transmitted in the visual--spatial mode of communication.
Language universals play an important role in cross- linguistic research on language structure, acquisition, and use. One of the common aspects of great significance, from childhood to adulthood, is the concept of number. This concept has been widely investigated by psychologists, educators, and, more recently, linguists (Gil, 1987). The concept of singular and plural is not restricted to knowing whether one has a lot or a little, more or less, one or many; rather, it affects whether one can say "I want many books" as opposed to * "I want many book" and still be understood. There are various ways to express number in natural languages. For example, in Japanese, the distinction between book and books is not made by plural marking (Gil, 1987), and in Hebrew, there is a wider distinction between singular, plural, and dual marking.
For instance, there is limited knowledge on the means of expressing number in Israeli Sign Language (ISL), and an exploration of this issue is necessary if we are to expand our knowledge of ISL as a natural language.Many scholars have claimed that certain characteristics are universal (i.e., common) to all natural languages, whereas other characteristics are language specific (Slobin, 1985). Because ISL is a natural language............
