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1、Chapter I Introduction,Why study language? What is language? What is linguistics?,Chapter I Introduction,Why study language Language 2.1 Definition 2.2 Origin 2.3 Design features 2.4 Functions 2.5 Typology,Linguistics 3.1 Definition 3.2 Scope 3.3 Important distinctions,1. Why study language,Language
2、 is an integral part of our life and humanity.,Yet we know little or even have wrong ideas about it.,Where does language come from? How? When?,Why is language human-specific?,The function of language is to exchange information.,How can we say one thing but mean another?,Why can a child learn his/her
3、 mother tongue so easily?,Language has a form-meaning correspondence.,The subject of language is intriguing and useful.,Language can be used as a way of finding out: How the brain works. How children learn language. Why people use different varieties of language. What the role of language is in diff
4、erent cultures, etc.,2. Language,2.1 Definition,Different senses,Bad language Shakespeares language Business language The English language A student of language,Expressions Idiolect Variety Abstract system Universal properties,Definition of language as a research subject,Language is a system of arbi
5、trary vocal symbols used for human communication.,Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.,2. Language,Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.,Language is systematic. Elements are combined according to rules. Language is arbi
6、trary. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.,语言是人类用于交际的任意有声符号系统。,译,2. Language,Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.,Language is basically vocal. The primary medium is sound for all languages. Language is symbolic. It is meaningless by itself. Languag
7、e is human-specific. Bird songs and bee dances Language is communicative. That is its major function.,2. Language,2.2 Origin (of speech),The divine theory endowed by God (The Tower of Babel) The bow-wow theory imitative of animal calls (mew, hiss) The pooh-pooh theory instinctive cries out of emotio
8、ns (interjections) The ding-dong theory natural resonance when struck (ding-dong, bang),2. Language,2.2 Origin (of speech),The yo-he-yo theory rhythmic grunts when working (heave, haul),Summary Language originated from our experience of the external and internal world, and our contact with others. I
9、t evolves within specific historical, social and cultural contexts.,Questions for discussion: Will the day come when all languages become one? What is possibly the first language? Where do you think language came from?,2. Language,2.3 Design features,Design features refer to the defining properties
10、of language that distinguish it from any animal system of communication.,Design features refer to the defining properties of language that distinguish it from any animal system of communication.,Arbitrariness 任意性 no natural relationship between meaning and form A rose by any other name would smell a
11、s sweet. Duality 二层性 two hierarchical structures of sounds and words Sounds meaningless; words meaningful,2. Language,2.3 Design features,Creativity 创造性 productivity, infinite use of finite means understand/produce sentences never heard before. Displacement 移位性 stimulus free (genereralization and ab
12、straction) free from barriers by separation in time and space. MORE ? Cultural transmission: more cultural than genetic Interchangeability: both a producer and a receiver,2.4 Functions,Hello! Get out of my way! The earth revolves around the sun. Do you know his hobby? I hate her. How do you like Jac
13、k? I hereby declare the meeting open. Tommy, Dear Friend Humor; chanting; puns What I mean is; in other words,Phatic Directive Informative Interrogative Expressive Evocative Performative Interpersonal Recreational Metalinguistic,2.4 Functions,Linguists talk about the FUNCTIONS of language in an abst
14、ract sense. They summarize practical functions and attempt some broad classifications.,Jakobson (1960): referential (context), emotive (addresser), poetic (message), conative (addressee), phatic (contact), meta-lingual (code) Halliday early: instrumental, regulatory, representational, interactional,
15、 personal, heuristic and imaginative. Halliday (1994): ideational (logical), interpersonal (social) and textual (relevant),2. Language,2.4 Functions,Informative (ideational): to express the speakers experience of the external and internal world Interpersonal: to establish and maintain social rules R
16、ecreational: to recreate/play with words Metalingual: to describe language itself,Performative: to perform actions (directive) Emotive (expressive) : overlapped with expression of the inner experience Phatic: purely social/interpersonal,Textual,3. Linguistics,3.1 Definition,Linguistics is generally
17、defined as the scientific study of language. As a science, it now has its own set of established theories, methods and sub-branches.,data,generalization,hypothesis,theory,The flow of linguistics study,3. Linguistics,3.2 Scope,3. Linguistics,3.3 Important distinctions,Descriptive vs. prescriptive: be
18、/should be This distinction lies in prescribing how things ought to be and describing how things are. Synchronic vs. diachronic: usually current/historical The former takes a fixed instant, usually the present, as its point of observation; the latter studies a language through the course of its hist
19、ory.,3. Linguistics,3.3 Important distinctions,Speech vs. writing: spoken/written language Speech is primary over writing, which in turn gives language new scope and uses. Langue vs. parole: abstract rules/concrete use Saussure distinguished the linguistic competence of the speaker and the actual ph
20、enomena or data of linguistics (utterances) as langue and parole.,3. Linguistics,3.3 Important distinctions,Competence vs. performance: ideal knowledge /actual use A language users underlying knowledge about the system of rules is called his linguistic competence. And performance refers to the actual use of language in concrete situations (Chomsky) Traditional grammar vs. modern linguistics approach: Prescriptive vs. descriptive emphasis: Writing vs. speech framework: start with / work for a universal framework,