Chapter 1 Invitation to linguistics

2020/5/24Linguistics1ChapteroneInvitationtolinguisticsLanguageLinguistics2020/5/24Linguistics2WhatislanguageWhystudylanguage?Whatislanguage?(thedefinition)Designfeaturesoflanguage(four)Functionsoflanguage(seven)Whatislinguistics?ThedefinitionoflinguisticsThescopeoflinguisticsMainbranchesoflinguisticsmacrolinguisticsSomeimportantdistinctionsinlinguistics(fourgroups)2020/5/24Linguistics31.1WhyStudyLanguage?2020/5/24Linguistics4SomemythsaboutlanguageLanguageisonlyameansofcommunication.Languagehasaform-meaningcorrespondence.Thefunctionoflanguageistoexchangeinformation.EnglishismoredifficulttolearnthanChinese.BlackEnglishisnotstandardandshouldbereformed.2020/5/24Linguistics5SomefundamentalviewsaboutLChildrenlearntheirnativelanguageswiftly,efficientlyandwithoutinstruction.MamaDada,Baba，Mama2020/5/24Linguistics6Languageoperatesbyrules.2020/5/24Linguistics7Alllanguageshavethreemajorcomponents:asoundsystem,asystemoflexicogrammarandasystemofsemantics.Everyonespeaksadialect.Languageslowlychanges.2020/5/24Linguistics8Speakersofalllanguagesemployarangeofstylesandasetofjargons.行话2020/5/24Linguistics9Jargonisterminologywhichisespeciallydefinedinrelationshiptoaspecificactivity,profession,orgroup.Inotherwords,thetermmostoftencoversthelanguageusedbypeoplewhoworkinaparticularareaorwhohaveacommoninterest.Forexample:medicaljargon:acidotic酸中毒的-abnormallyhighacidityofbodyfluidsandtissuesPolicejargon:Arrest/case收藏行话:吃仙丹---买了便宜喜欢的藏品叫“吃仙丹”。交学费---不太懂行总是花钱买到新货，受人骗叫“交学费”。相声行话：“包袱”—笑料,“倒口”—模拟方言,下挂—重新整理,皮厚—不容易懂,皮薄—容易懂2020/5/24Linguistics10Languagesareintimatelyrelatedtothesocietiesandindividualswhousethem.Writingisderivativeofspeech.2020/5/24Linguistics111.2WhatisLanguage?Languagecanmeanwhatapersonsaysthewayofspeakingorwritingaparticularvarietyorlevelofspeechorwritingtheabstractsystemunderlyingthetotalityofthespeech/writingbehaviorofacommunitythecommonfeaturesofallhumanlanguagesLanguageisatoolforhumancommunication.Languageisasetofrules.2020/5/24Linguistics12Sapir(1921):宽定义“Languageisapurelyhamanandnon-instinctivemethodofcommunicatingideas,emotionsanddesiresbymeansofvoluntarilyproducedsymbols.”(Sapir,1921)语言是人类独有的非本能的交际方式，通过有意发出的声音或写出语言符号等手段，来达到传递思想、交流感情和满足欲望的目的。(忽视语言的体系性)2020/5/24Linguistics13ThisdefinitionsuffersmanydefectsSapiruses“ideas”,“emotions,”and“desires”inhisdefinitions.Nomatterhowbroadlyweinterpretthesewords,thereismuchthatiscommunicatedbylanguagewhichisnotcoveredbyanyofthem;andtheword“idea”inparticularisimprecise.Thenapartfromlanguage,thereareothersystemsof“voluntarilyproducedsymbols”thatcanservethesamepurpose.2020/5/24Linguistics14whatisnowpopularlyreferredtobymeansoftheexpression“bodylanguage”---whichmakesuseofgestures,postures,eye-gaze,etc.---wouldseemtosatisfythispointofSapir’sdefinition.ForExample2020/5/24Linguistics15Chomsky(1957:13)：窄定义“FromnowonIwillconsiderlanguagetobeaset(finiteorinfinite)ofsentences,eachfiniteinlengthandconstructedoutofafinitesetofelements.”(Chomsky,1957)Chomsky(1957)的窄定义:语言是一套句子的集合，每句长度有限，且由有限的语言成分组成.(忽视语言的表意和交际功能。)2020/5/24Linguistics16ThisdefinitionsuffersmanydefectsChomsky’sdefinitionisquitedifferentfromthedefinitionquotedabove,andalsomanyothersproposed.Itsaysnothingaboutthecommunicativefunctionofnaturalornon-naturallanguage;itsaysnothingaboutthesymbolicnatureoftheelementsoflanguage.Itspurposeistofocusattentiononthepurelystructrualpropertiesoflanguagesandtosuggestthatthesepropertiescanbeinvestigatedfromamathematicallyprecisepointofview.2020/5/24Linguistics17“Languageisasystemofarbitraryvocalsymbolsusedforhumancommunication.”语言是人类用来交际的任意性的语音符号的体系。--RonaldWardhaugh:IntroductiontoLinguistics(1977)System:Elementsinitarearrangedaccordingtocertainrules.Theycannotbearrangedatwill.e.g.Hethetablecleaned(×);bkli(×).Vocal--------theprimarymediumforalllanguagesissound,nomatterhowwelldevelopedtheirwritingsystemsare.Writingsystemscameintobeingmuchlaterthanthespokenforms.Peoplewithlittleornoliteracycanalsobecompetentlanguageusers.Symbols----wordsarejustthesymbolsassociatedwithobjects,actions,andideasbyconvention.Human----languageishuman-specific.Humanbeingshavedifferentkindsofbrainsandvocalcapacity.“LanguageAcquisitionDevice”(LAD)Communication-----Aprocessinwhichinformationistransmittedfromasource(senderorspeaker)toagoal(receiverorlistener).Arbitrary----thereisnointrinsic(logic)connectionbetweenalinguisticformanditsmeaning.2020/5/24Linguistics18CorrectUnderstandingofLanguageLanguageisameansofverbalcommunication.Languagehassystem;Itisvocalandarbitrary;Itisahumanandsocialactivity;Itisnon-instinctiveandisrelatedtoculture;Languagechangeswithtime.2020/5/24Linguistics19Classwork(1)Fillintheblank:Language,broadlyspeaking,isameansof______communication.Answer:verbalChoosethebestanswer:Languageisasystemofarbitraryvocalsymbolsusedforhuman______.A.contactB.communicationC.relationD.communityAnswer:B.communication2020/5/24Linguistics20Classwork(2)Languageis______.A.instinctiveB.non-instinctiveC.staticD.geneticallytransmittedAnswer:B.non-instinctiveAlinguistregardsthechanges