Important Distinctions in Linguistics.ppt

1、Important Distinctions in Linguistics,Contents,Descriptive vs Prescriptive Synchronic vs Diachronic Langue vs Parole Competence vs Performance Speech vs Writing,Descriptive vs Perscriptive,Descriptive:a linguistic study that aims to describe and analyze the language people actually use. Perscriptive

2、:a linguistic study that aims to lay down rules for “correct and standard” behavior in using language, i.e., to tell people what they should say and what they should not say. Modern linguistics is mostly descriptive.,Examples,1:when I see a dog,I will say:He is so cute!.The sentence what I just said

3、 is a discriptive language. 2:When we study grammar,if you make a sentence just like:Do clean the room! It is perscriptive. 3:Dont smoke!-this is also perscriptive.,Synchronic vs Diachronic,A contribution made by Saussure is the distinction of Synchronic and Diachronic linguistic study. Synchronic L

4、anguage exists in time and changes through time. The description of a lg at some point in time. Diachronic-the description of a lg as it changes through time. A diachronic study of lg is a historical study; it studies the historical development of lg over a period of time.,共时语言学就是研究一种或多种语言在其历史发展中的某一

5、阶段的情况，即语言状态(language state)，而不考虑这种状态究竟如何演化而来,又称静态语言学(static linguistics). 历时语言学集中研究语言在较长历史时期所经历的变化，又称演化语言学（evolutionary linguistics） historical Linguistics.,Examples,1:If I want to study the language changes of the period between 1798 to 1832 of England,that is synchronic. 2:If I want to study the d

6、evelopment of our Chinese,that means I should start from early ancient times when we had language to nowadays.All the changes are included in it.It is diachronic,Synchronic study- description of a language at some point of time (modern linguistics) Diachronic study- description of a language through

7、 time (historical development of language over a period of time),Langue vs Parole,The distinction between Langue and parole was made by the Swiss linguist F. de Saussure in the early 20th century. They are French words. Langue refers to the abstract linc system shared by all the members of a speech

8、community, and the parole refers to the realization of langue in actual use. langue is the set of conventions and rules which lg users all have to abide by, and parole is the concrete use of the conventions and the applications of the rules.,Explaination,语言(langue)是言语能力的社会产物，又是必要的惯例(convention)的总汇，这

9、种惯例为社会群体所接受，使每个人能进行言语活动。 言语(parole)是个人运用自己的机能时的行为，它运用的手段是通过社会惯例，即语言”（by 索绪尔）语言是一种语法系统，它本身不表现出来，而是潜伏在每个人的大脑之中。 言语是语言的运用（execution），是语言的具体表现。语言是总体，言语从属于语言。语言的存在不取决于具体言语，但言语不能语言。,Langue and Parole,Examples,1:When we talk about English,from ancient when they began to use this language to communite to no

10、wadays,it gradually developed into a system that we cannot truely see and touch by our own hands.That is what we call Langue.,However,we still live in this real world,and when we live,work,and study,in most of those occasions,we always need communication. The words we use is called Parole.,Competenc

11、e and performance,Similar to Saussures distinction between langue and parole is the distinction between competence and performance, which was proposed by the American linguist N. Chomsky in the late 1950s. Chomsky defines competence as the ideal users knowledge of the rules of his language, and perf

12、ormance is the actual realization of this knowledge in linc. Communication.,Differences: Saussure took a sociological view of language and his notion of langue is a matter of social conventions, Chomsky looks at language from a psychological point of view and to him competence is a property of the m

13、ind of each individual.,Examples,1:Weve learnt English for a long time,and all the knowledge weve known about English can be called Compentence because it tell us how to use language correctly and properly. 2:When we attend a formal conference,we need to speak some formal words.It is Performance.,Sp

14、eech vs Writing,Speech and writing are the two major media of linguistic communication. Spoken language is the natural or primary medium of human language.,Why speech is prior to writing?,Speech is prior to writing in evolution: Statistics show that there have been over 5,000 languages in the world, about two thirds of which have not had written form. In other words, even today there are s