語言學1

第一章
Chapter 1 Invitations to Linguistics

Teaching aims: let the students have the general idea about language and linguistics.

Teaching difficulties: design features of language ; some important distinctions in linguistics

Teaching procedures

1. language
1.1 Why study language?為什么學習語言
A tool for communication交流的工具
An integral part of our life and humanity 人類生活和人性中不可或缺的一部分.
If we are not fully aware of the nature and mechanism of our language, we will be ignorant of what constitutes our essential humanity.如果不能完全理解語言的本質和結構,我們就會對人類的本質一無所知.
1.2 What is language?什么是語言
1.2.1 different senses of language 語言的不同意義
1. what a person says( concrete act of speech)
a person’s consistent way of speaking or writing
a particular level of speaking or writing e.g. colloquial language
an abstract system
2. A webster’s New Dictionrary offers a frequently used sense of the word “language”:
a. human speech 人類的言語
b. the ability to communicate by this means 通過言語來交流的能力
c. a system of vocal sounds and combinations of such sounds to which meaning is attributed, used for the expression or communication of thoughts and feelings; 用來表達或交流思想和感覺的一套聲音及這些聲音互相結合的系統
d. the written representation of such a system 系統的文字表達
3. the barest of definition, language is a means of verbal communication.最簡潔的定義:語言是言語交流的一種方式.
Language is instrumental in that communicating by speaking or writing is a purposeful act. It is social and conventional in that language is a social semiostic and communication can only take place effectively if all the users share a broad understanding of human interaction including such associated factors as nonverbal cues, motivation, and socio-cultural roles. Language distinguishes us from animals.因為說和寫的交流方式是一種有目的的行為,所以語言是實用性的;因為語言是社會符號,語言的交流只能在所有參與者廣泛理解了人類的那些非言語的暗示,動機,社會文化角色等等互相關聯的因素之后才能有效進行,因此語言又是社會的,約定俗成的.語言使人類區別于動物.
1.2.2 definitions
一.Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.
What is communication?
A process in which information is transmitted from a source (sender or speaker) to a goal (receiver or listener).
A system----since elements in it are arranged according to certain rules systematically, rather than randomly. They cannot be arranged at will. e.g. He the table cleaned. (×) bkli (×)
Why do we say language is arbitrary?
Arbitrary----there is no intrinsic (logic) connection between a linguistic form and its meaning, between the sounds that people use and the objects to which these sounds refer. This explains and is explained by the fact that different language have different words for the same object, it is good illustration of the arbitrary nature of language . it is only our tacit agreement of utterance and concept at work and not any innate relationship bound up in the utterance. A typical example to illustrate the arbitrary of language is a famous quotation from shakepeare’s play:” Romeo and Juliet: A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.一朵玫瑰不管它叫什么名字,聞起來都是一樣香的.
Symbols----words are just the symbols associated with objects, actions, and ideas by nothing but convention. Namely, people use the sounds or voval forms to symbolize what they wish to refer to.
Vocal-------- the primary medium for all languages is sound, no matter how well developed their writing systems are. Writing systems came much later than the spoken forms. The fact that small children learn and can only learn to speak and listen before they write or read also indicates that language is primarily vocal, rather than written.
Writing systems came into being much later than the spoken forms.