语言学简明教程Chapter

1、1 General Linguistics2Targets of this course: 4. To be a qualified teacher of a language3. To do research2. To contribute to the development of human languages 1. To know more about language5. To learn a language better ( for example English)6. To take the entrance exam to be a postgraduate of a lan

2、guage 7. To get higher marks for TEM 8Why do we need to study linguistics?8. 31. What is the book about ?2. Why do we study linguistics? 3. What can we do with linguistics? 4exercises5It is a major branch of social science. Linguistics studies not just one language of any society, but the language o

3、f all human societies, language in general.Linguistics studies the general principles upon which all languages are constructed and operate as a system of communication in the societies in which they are used.Linguistics can be defined as the scientific study of language.6Next7lPhonetics (语音学)lPhonol

4、ogy (音系学)lMorphology (形态学/词形学)lSyntax (句法学)lSemantics (语义学) lPragmatics (语用学)l lThe above aspects of language forms the core of linguistics. 8lSociolinguistics （社会语言学）lPsycholinguistics （心理语言学）lCorpus linguistics （语料库语言学）lComputational linguistics （计算语言学)lStylistic linguistics （stylistics) (文体学/语体学）

5、lApplied linguistics (应用语言学）l9lFunctional linguistics (功能语言学）lStructural linguistics （结构语言学）lChomskyan linguistics （乔姆斯基语言学）lHallidayan linguistics（韩礼德语言学）l1011121.2 What is language? Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.system-elements in it are arranged acco

6、rding to certain rules. They cannot be arranged at will.arbitrary-there is no intrinsic(logic) connection between a sign and its meaning.vocal-the primary medium for all languages is sound, no matter how well developed their writing systems are.13symbols-words are just the symbols associated with ob

7、jects, actions, ideas by convention. human-specific-human beings have different kinds of brains and vocal capacity. “Language Acquisition Device”(LAD)14Time for Break15lArbitrariness（任意性）lDuality（双重性）lProductivity （创造性）lCultural transmission （文化传递性） 1.3 Properties of language 语言的结构特征 (Design feature

8、s)nextback16 1. Arbitrariness-the form of linguistic signs bear no natural relationship to their meaning. The link between them is a matter of convention. E.g. “house” uchi (Japanese) Mansion (French) 房子(Chinese) conventionality-It means that in any language there are certain sequences of sounds tha

9、t have a conventionally accepted meaning. Those words are customarily used by all speakers with the same intended meaning and understood by all listeners in the same way.17 2. Duality-language is a system which consists of two sets of structures, or two levels, and each of the two levels has its own

10、 principles of organization. Primary level-words which are meaningful Secondary level-sounds which are meaningless, but can be grouped and regrouped into words. This is the most economical feature of language.18 3. Productivity (creativity)- language is resourceful. It makes possible the constructio

11、n and interpretation of new signals by its users. 194. Cultural transmission Language is passed on from one generation to the next through teaching and learning rather than by instinct.15420Review: 1. What is linguistics?2. What is language?3. What are the design features of language? (or properties

12、 of language)4. In theory, how can linguistics be classified?5. Who is the forefather of modern linguistics? 6. What is Halliday famous for?7. What is Chomsky famous for? 21Examples:Brisk, erect walk Hand to cheek Tapping or drumming fingers Tilted head Biting nails 1.4 Body Languages and Other “Lan

13、guages”Qs: 1）What is body language? Can you name some kind of body language?2）Is it language? Why or why not? ConfidencethinkingImpatienceInterestInsecurity, nervousness22 According to Halliday(2003), there are three broad functions of language: lIdeational function（概念功能）lInterpersonal function （人际功

14、能）Textual function（语篇功能）1.5 Functions of Language231.6 Some Distinctions in Linguistics (FAQ)(1) Description vs. Prescription(2) Synchronic vs. Diachronic(3) Speech vs. Writing(4) Langue vs. Parole (by Saussure)(5) Competence vs. Performance (by Chomsky)(6) Modern linguistics vs. Traditional grammar

15、24lDescriptive vs. prescriptive “描写式”和 “规定式” They represent two different types of linguistic study. If a linguistic study aims to describe and analyze the language people actually use, it is said to be descriptive; if the linguistic study aims to lay down rules for “correct and standard” behavior i

16、n using language, i. e. to tell people what they should say and what they should not say, it is said to be prescriptive. 25lSynchronic vs. diachronic “共时”和 “历时” The description of a language at some point of time in history is a synchronic study; the description of language as it changes through tim

17、e is a diachronic study. A diachronic study is a historical study; it studies the historical development of language over a period of time. 26lSpeech - primary medium of languagelWriting - later developed lSpeech & Writing27llangue & parole “语言” 和 “言语” The distinction was made by the Swiss l

18、inguist Saussure in the early 20th century. Langue refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all members of a speech community. Parole refers to the realization of language in actual use. As a social product, language can be thought of as the generalized rules of the language. Parole, on th

19、e other hand, is the concrete use or application of the rules. 28lThe distinction is discussed by the American linguist N. Chomsky in the late 1950s.lCompetence-the ideal users knowledge of the rules of his language.lPerformance-the actual realization of this knowledge in linguistic communication. B

20、oth Saussure and Chomsky make the distinction between the abstract language system and the actual use of language. Their purpose is to single out the language system for serious study.lCompetence and performance 语言能力和语言运用29 Modern linguistics is descriptive, which means its investigations are based

21、on authentic, and mainly spoken language data. Modern linguistics mainly describes and analyses the facts of language. Traditional grammar is prescriptive; it is based on “high” written language. It tries to lay down rules for “correct” or standard language behavior. Modern linguistics is mainly syn

22、chronic, focusing on the present-day language. Unless the various states of a language are successfully studied, it will not be possible to describe language from a diachronic point of view. What do you think modern linguistics is? Modern Linguistics is descriptive & synchronic.30Review: lStrict

23、ly speaking, is body language a language? Why or why not? lAccording to Halliday, what are the broad functions of language? lWho makes the distinction between langue and parole? Who makes the distinction between competence and performance?31Exercises: True or false:lLinguistics studies one specific

24、language.( ) lModern linguistics is mostly descriptive because it sets rules for language users to follow. ( )lLanguage is arbitrary by nature but it is not entirely arbitrary. ( )lLanguage is non-instinctive. ( )lFill in the blanks: lLinguistics is generally defined as the scientific study of _. lL

25、anguage is a system of _ _ _ used for human communication.lIf a linguistic study describes and analyses the language people actually use, it is said to be _. If it aims to lay down rules for correct behavior it is said to be _. l“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. This sentence means that language has the feature of _. lWriting is a secondary language form based