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《简明英语语言学》笔记
Chapter 1
Introduction
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What is
linguistics?
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Definition
: the scientific
study of language.
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A discipline that data and theory stand
in a dialectical complementation;
that is, a theory without the support
of data can hardly claim validity, and data
without being explained by some theory
remain a muddled mass of things.
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The scope of linguistics:
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General
linguistics
: study language as a whole
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Specific aspects:
1)
Phonetics
: the study of
sounds
2)
Phonology
: how sounds are
put together and used to convey meaning
3)
Morphology
: how symbols are
formed and combined to form word
4)
Syntax
: study the rules of
how to form grammatically correct sentence
5)
Semantics
: the study of
meaning
6)
Pragmatics:
the study of
meaning in the context of language use
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Interdisciplinary branches:
1)
Sociolinguistics
2)
Psycholinguistics
3)
Applied
linguistics
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Important distinctions
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Prescriptive
and descriptive:
1)
Descriptive:
Describe and analyze the language that people
actually
use
2)
Prescriptive: Lay down rules for
correct and standard behavior in
using
language
3)
Modern language is mostly descriptive.
Modern language, which is
scientific
and objective, describes language people actually
use, be it
correct or not.
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Synchronic and diachronic
1)
Synchronic:
describe language at some point of time in
history, al-
ways in its current
existence.
2)
Diachronic: the description of language
as it changes through time; it
studies
the historical development of language over a
period of time.
3)
In modern linguistics, synchronic
approach enjoys priority.
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Speech and
writing
Speech is prior to
writing in linguistics, for it is more natural and
reveals
more true feature of language.
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Langue and
parole
1)
Langue:
abstract system shared by all members of language
com-
munity; it is the set of
conventions and rules that language users have
abide by
2)
Parole: Concrete use of language.
3)
Saussure: 1)
parole is simply a mass of linguistic language
facts; 2)
linguist should abstract
langue from parole, i.e. to discover the
regu-
larities governing the actual use
of language
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Competence and Performance-American
linguist Chomsky
1)
Competence:
knowledge of rules of language
2)
Performance:
the realization of this knowledge in linguistic
commu-
nication
3)
The imperfect
performance is caused by social and psychological
factors.
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Traditional
grammar and modern linguistics
1)
Linguistics is
descriptive while traditional grammar is
prescriptive.
2)
Modern linguistics regard spoken
language as primary.
3)
Modern linguistics does not force
languages into Latin-based
framework.
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What is language?
?
Definition of
language
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Language is a system of arbitrary vocal
symbols used for human com-
munication.
1)
Language is a
system, which means elements of language are
com-
bined according to rules.
2)
Language is
arbitrary in the sense that there is no intrinsic
connection
between a linguistic symbol
and what the symbol stands for.
3)
Language is
vocal because the primary medium for all language
is
sound.
4)
Language is human-specific.
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Design feature
1)
Arbitrariness
: logical
connection between meaning and sounds.
While some words are motivated: the
first are onomatopoeic words,
such as
rumble, crash, bang; the second are compound
words, e.g.
photocopy. This kind of
words only make up small percentage of
vocabulary. The arbitrary nature of
language is a sign of sophistica-
tion of language and make it possible
for language to have an unli-
mited
source of expressions.
2)
Productivity
: language is
productive or creative in that it makes
possible the construction and
interpretation of new signals by its
us-
ers.
3)
Duality
: basic level: a
structure of sounds
Higher level:
sounds of language can be rearranged into
morphemes and words
4)
Displacement
:
不受时空限制的
5)
Cultural
transmission:
human have to be learned
and taught be
acquire language.
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Functions of language
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Descriptive function
: convey
factual information
Expressive
function
: supplies information
Social
function
: maintain social relations
between people
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Structural linguist Roman Jakobson
Addresser---
emotive
:
addresser
express
his
attitude
towards
the
topic
or situation
Addressee---
conative
:
the
addresser
aims
to
influence
addressee’s
action
Context--
-referential
: addresser
conveys a message or information
Message---
poetic
:
use language to display the beauty of language
Contact---
phatic
communication: it tries to establish or maintain
in-
terpersonal relations
Code---
metalinguistic
: make clear the meaning of language itself
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In early 1970
British linguist M.A.K. Halliday
7
function in children.
3 in
adults:
Ideational
function
: organize one’s experience,
attitude, evaluation,
feeling, and
emotions
Interpersonal
function
:
establish
and
maintain
interpersonal
rela-
tions
Textual
function
:
organize
written
or
spoken
English
in
such
a
manner that they are coherent within
themselves and fit the particular
situation in which they are used