语言学习题14

1、Chapter I   Introduction I. Decide whether each of the following statements is True or False: 1. Linguistics is generally defined as the scientific study of language.2.Linguistics studies particular language, not languages in general.3. A scientific study of language is based on what the l

2、inguist thinks. 4. In the study of linguistics, hypotheses formed should be based on language facts and checked against the observed facts. 5. General linguistics is generally the study of language as a whole. 6. General linguistics, which relates itself to the research of other areas, studies the b

3、asic concepts, theories, descriptions, models and methods applicable in any linguistic study. 7. Phonetics is different from phonology in that the latter studies the combinations of the sounds to convey meaning in communication. 8. Morphology studies how words can be formed to produce meaningful sen

4、tences. 9. The study of the ways in which morphemes can be combined to form words is called morphology. 10. Syntax is different from morphology in that the former not only studies the morphemes, but also the combination of morphemes into words and words into sentences. 11. The study of meaning in la

5、nguage is known as semantics. 12. Both semantics and pragmatics study meanings. 13. Pragmatics is different from semantics in that pragmatics studies meaning not in isolation, but in context. 14. Social changes can often bring about language changes. 15. Sociolinguistics is the study of language in

6、relation to society. 16. Modern linguistics is mostly prescriptive, but sometimes descriptive. 17. Modern linguistics is different from traditional grammar.18. A diachronic study of language is the description of language at some point in time. 19 Modern linguistics regards the written language as p

7、rimary, not the written language. 20. The distinction between competence and performance was proposed by F. de Saussure.II. Fill in each of the following blanks with one word which begins with the letter given: 21.  Chomsky defines “ competence” as the ideal users k_ of the rules of his la

8、nguage. 22.Langue refers to the a_ linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community while the parole is the concrete use of the conventions and application of the rules. 23.D_ is one of the design features of human language which refers to the phenomenon that language consists of tw

9、o levels: a lower level of meaningless individual sounds and a higher level of meaningful units. 24. Language is a system of a_ vocal symbols used for human communication. 25. The discipline that studies the rules governing the formation of words into permissible sentences in languages is called s_.

10、 26. Human capacity for language has a g _ basis, but the details of language have to be taught and learned.   27. P _ refers to the realization of langue in actual use. 28. Findings in linguistic studies can often be applied to the settlement of some practical problems. The study of such

11、applications is generally known as a_ linguistics.29. Language is p_ in that it makes possible the construction and interpretation of new signals by its users. In other words, they can produce and understand an infinitely large number of sentences which they have never heard before.30. Linguistics i

12、s generally defined as the s _ study of language.III. There are four choices following each statement. Mark the choice that can best complete the statement. 31. If a linguistic study describes and analyzes the language people actually use, it is said to be _. A. prescriptive    &

13、#160;               B. analytic C. descriptive                     D. linguistic 32.Which of the following is not a design fe

14、ature of human language? A. Arbitrariness                     B. Displacement C. Duality                  

15、0;       D. Meaningfulness 33. Modern linguistics regards the written language as _. A. primary     B. correct C. secondary    D. stable 34. In modern linguistics, speech is regarded as more basic than writing, because _

16、. A. in linguistic evolution, speech is prior to writing B. speech plays a greater role than writing in terms of the amount of information conveyed. C. speech is always the way in which every native speaker acquires his mother tongue D. All of the above 35. A historical study of

17、language is a _ study of language. A. synchronic                   B. diachronic C. prescriptive                  D. com

18、parative 36.Saussure took a (n)_ view of language, while Chomsky looks at language from a _ point of view.  A. sociologicalpsychological    B. psychologicalsociological  C. applied pragmatic           D.semantic and ling

19、uistic 37. According to F. de Saussure, _ refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community.A. parole     B. performance C. langue       D. Language 38. Language is said to be arbitrary because there i

20、s no logical connection between _ and meanings. A. sense         B. sounds C. objects      D. ideas 39. Language can be used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situations of the speaker. This feature is called_,

21、 A. displacement  B. duality C. flexibility    D. cultural transmission40. The details of any language system is passed on from one generation to the next through _ , rather than by instinct. A. learning   B. teaching C. books     

22、;D. both A and B IV. Define the following terms: 41. Linguistics     42. Phonology    43. Syntax      44. Pragmatics     45. Psycholinguistics   46. Language 47. Phonetics  48

23、. Morphology  49.Semantics     50. Sociolinguistics    51. Applied Linguistics 52.Arbitrariness   53 Productivity  54. Displacement      55.Duality         56.

24、Design Features 57. Competence   58 Performance     59. Langue        60 ParoleV. Answer the following questions as comprehensively as possible. Give examples for illustration if necessary: 61. Language is generally defined a

25、s a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for   human communication. Explain it in detail. 62. What are the design features of human language? Illustrate them with examples. 63. How is modern linguistics different from traditional grammar? 64. How do you understand the distinction between

26、 a synchronic study and a diachronic study? 65. Why does modern linguistics regard the spoken form of language as primary, not the written? 66. What are the major distinctions between langue and parole?67. How do you understand competence and performance ?68. Saussures distinction between langue and

27、 parole seems similar to Chomskys distinction between competence and performance. What do you think are their major differences?69. Do you think human language is entirely arbitrary? Why?I. Decide whether each of the following statements is True or False:    l.T    2.F&

28、#160;   3.F    4.T    5.T    6.F    7.T   8.F    9.T    10.F    11.T   12.T   13.T  14.T   15.T

29、   16.F   17.T  18.F    19.F   20.F II. Fill in each of the following blanks with one word which begins with the letter given: 21. knowledge  22. abstract   23. Duality   24. arbitrary 25. syntax 

30、;  26.genetic 27. Parole    28. applied    29. productive   30. scientific (or systematic) III. There are four choices following each statement. Mark the choice that can best complete the statement. 3l.C   32.D   33.C &#

31、160; 34.D   35.B   36.A   37.C   38.B   39.A   40.D IV. Define the following terms: 41.  Linguistics: Linguistics is generally defined as the scientific study of language. 42.  Phonology: The study of how sounds are put

32、together and used in communication is called phonology. 43.  Syntax: The study of how morphemes and words are combined to form sentences is called syntax. . 44.  Pragmatics: The study of meaning in context of use is called pragmatics. 45.  Psycholinguistics: The study o

33、f language with reference to the workings of mind is called psycholinguistics. 46.  Language: Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. 47.  Phonetics: The study of sounds which are used in linguistic communication is called phonetics. 48. 

34、; Morphology: The study of the way in which morphemes are arranged to form words is called morphology. 49.  Semantics: The study of meaning in language is called semantics. 50.  Sociolinguistics: The study of language with reference to society is called sociolinguistics. 51.

35、  Applied linguistics: In a narrow sense, applied linguistics refers to the application of linguistic principles and theories to language teaching and learning, especially the teaching of foreign and second languages. In a broad sense, it refers to the application of linguistic findings to

36、 the solution of practical problems such as the recovery of speech ability. 52.  Arbitrariness: It is one of the design features of language. It means that there is no logical connection between meanings and sounds 53.  Productivity: Language is productive or creative in that it

37、makes possible the con-struction and interpretation of new signals by its users. 54.  Displacement: Displacement means that language can be used to refer to things which are present or not present, real or imagined matters in the past, present, or future, or in far-away places. In other wo

38、rds, language can be used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situations of the speaker 55.  Duality: The duality nature of language means that language is a system, which consists of two sets of structure, or two levels, one of sounds and the other of meanings. 56.  

39、Design features: Design features refer to the defining properties of human language that distinguish it from any animal system of communication 57.  Competence: Chomsky defines competence as the ideal user's knowledge of the rules of his language, 58.  Performance: performanc

40、e is the actual realization of the knowl-edge of the rules in linguistic communication. 59.  langue : Langue refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community; Langue is the set of conventions and rules which language users all have to follow; Langue

41、is relatively stable, it does not change frequently 60.   Parole: Parole refers to the realization of langue in actual use; parole is the concrete use of the conventions and the application of the rules; parole varies from person to person, and from situation to situation. V. Answer the fo

42、llowing questions as comprehensively as possible. Give examples for illustration if necessary:61. Language is generally defined as a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. Explain it in detail.First of all, language is a system, because elements of language are combined

43、 according to rules. Secondly, language is arbitrary because there is no intrinsic connection between form and meaning, or between the sign and what it stands for. Different languages have different words for the same object in the world. This fact is a good illustration of the arbitrary nature of l

44、anguage. This also explains the symbolic nature of language: words are just symbols; they are associated with objects, actions, ideas, etc. by convention . Thirdly, language is vocal because the primary medium is sound for all languages, no matter how well - developed their writing systems are. 

45、0;   The term "human" in the definition indicates that language is possessed by human beings only and is very different from the communication systems of other living creatures. The term "communication" means that language makes it possible for its users to talk to

46、 each other and fulfill their communicative needs.62.  What are the design features of human language? Illustrate them with examples. 1) Arbitrariness As mentioned earlier, the arbitrary property of language means that there is no logical connection between meanings and sounds. For instanc

47、e, there is no necessary relationship between the word elephant and the animal it symbolizes. In addition, different sounds are used to refer to the same object in different languages, and even within the same language, the same sound does not refer to the same thing. However, language is not entire

48、ly arbitrary. There are words which are created in the imitation of sounds by sounds, such as crash, bang in English. Besides, some compound words are also not entirely arbitrary. But the non-arbitrary words are quite limited in number. The arbitrary nature of language makes it possible for language

49、 to have an unlimited source of expressions. 2) Productivity     Language is productive or creative in that it makes possible the construction and interpretation of new signals by its users. This is why they can produce and understand an infinitely large number of sentences, incl

50、uding sentences that they have never said or heard before. They can send messages which no one else has ever sent before. Productivity is unique to human language. Most animal communication systems appear to be highly restricted with respect to the number of different signals that their users can se

51、nd and receive. 3) Duality     The duality nature of language means that language is a system, which consists of two sets of structure, or two levels, one of sounds and the other of meanings. At the lower or the basic level, there is the structure of sounds, which are meaningless

52、, discrete, individual sounds. But the sounds of language can be combined according to rules into units of meaning such as morphemes and words, which, at the higher level, can be arranged into sentences. This duality of structure or double articulation of language enables its users to talk abou

53、t anything within their knowledge. No animal communication system has duality or even comes near to possessing it. 4) Displacement Displacement means that language can be used to refer to things which are present or not present, real or imagined matters in the past, present, or future, or in far-awa

54、y places. In other words, language can be used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situations of the speaker. Animal calls are mainly uttered in response to immediate changes of situation. 5) Cultural transmission     Human beings were born with the ability to acquire

55、 language, but the details of any language are not genetically transmitted or passed down by instinct. They have to be taught and learned, but animal call systems are genetically transmitted. 63.  How is modern linguistics different from traditional grammar?     Tr

56、aditional gram-mar is prescriptive; it is based on "high "(religious, literary) written language. It sets grammatical rules and imposes the rules on language users. But Modern linguistics is descriptive; It collects authentic, and mainly spoken language data and then it studies and describ

57、es the data in an objective and scientific way. 64.  How do you understand the distinction between a synchronic study and a diachronic study? The description of a language at some point in time is a Synchronic study; the description of a language as it changes through time is a diachronic

58、study. A synchronic study of language describes a language as it is at some particular point in time, while a diachronic study of language is the study of the historical development of language over a period of time. 65.  Why does modern linguistics regard the spoken form of language as pr

59、imary, not the written? First, the spoken form is prior to the writ-ten form and most writing systems are derived from the spoken form of language. Second, the spoken form plays a greater role than writing in terms of the amount of information conveyed and it serves a wider range of purposes Finally

60、, the spoken form is the medium through which we acquire our mother tongue. 66. What are the major distinctions between langue and parole?  The distinction between langue, and parole was made by the famous linguist Ferdinand de Saussure early this century. Langue refers to the abstract lin

61、guistic system shared by all the members of a speech community, and parole refers to the realization of langue in actual use. Langue is the set of conventions and rules which language users all have to follow while parole is the concrete use of the conventions and the application of the rules. Langu

62、e is abstract; it is not the language people actually use, but parole is concrete; it refers to the naturally occurring language events. Langue is relatively stable; it does not change frequently; while parole varies from person to person, and from situation to situation. 67. How do you understand c

63、ompetence and performance? American linguist N. Chomsky in the late 1950s proposed the distinction between competence and performance. Chomsky defines competence as the ideal users knowledge of the rules of his language. This internalized set of rules enables the language user to produce and underst

64、and an infinitely large number of sentences and recognize sentences that are ungrammatical and ambiguous. According to Chomsky, performance is the actual realization of this knowledge in linguistic communication. Although the speakers knowledge of his mother tongue is perfect, his performances

65、may have mistakes because of social and psychological factors such as stress, embarrassment, etc. Chomsky believes that what linguists should study is the competence, which is systematic, not the performance, which is too haphazard.68. Saussures distinction between langue and parole seems similar to

66、 Chomskys distinction between competence and performance. What do you think are their major differences?   Although Saussures distinction and Chomskys are very similar, they differ at least in that Saussure took a sociological view of language and his notion of langue is a mater of social conventions, and Chomsky looks at lan