语言学考试要点

CHAPUTER1

1 Definition of language

<1>human speech; the ability to communicate by this means; a system of vocal sounds and combinations of such sounds to which meaning is attributed, used for expression of such a system<2>any means of expressing or communicating, as gestures, signs, or animal sounds; a special set of symbols, letters, numerals, rules, etc. used for the transmission of information, as in

a computer; …

2 Design feature of language

Arbitrariness, duality, creativity, displacement

Arbitrariness: arbitrary relationship between the sound of a morpheme and its meaning, arbitrariness at syntactic level, arbitrariness and convention

Duality is meant the property of having two levels of structures, such that units of the primary level are composed of elements of the secondary level and each of the two levels has its own principles of organization.

Creativity means language is resourceful because of its duality and its recursiveness. Displacement means that human languages enable their users to symbolize objects, event and concepts which are not present at the moment of communication.

3 Functions of language

Informative, interpersonal function, performative, emotive function, phatic communion, recreational function, metalingual function.

4 Definition of linguistics

Linguistic is usually defined as the science of language or, alternatively, as the scientific study of language ,linguistic is a rich and exciting field.

5 Main branches of linguistics

Phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics,(填空了解大意即可)

6 Psycholinguistics investigates the interrelation of language and mind, in processing and producing utterances in language acquisition for example.

7 Sociolinguistics is an umbrella term which covers a variety of different interests in language and society, including the social functions of language and the social characteristics of its users.

8 Descriptive vs. prescriptive

The first is a prescriptive a command, while the second is a descriptive statement. The distinction lies in prescribing how things ought to be and describing how things are.

9 synchronic vs. diachronic

A synchronic description takes a fixed instant as its point of observation. Most grammars are of this kind. Saussure’s diachronic linguistics is the study of language th rough the course of its history.

10 Competence and performance

A language user’s underlying knowledge about the system of rules is called his linguistic competence. And performance refers to the actual use of language in concrete situations.

Chapter2

1 The difference between phonetics语音学and phonology音系学

The former studies how speech sounds are produced, transmitted, and perceived. The latter is the study of the sound patterns an sound system of languages. It aim to “discover the principle that govern the way sounds are org that govern the way sounds are organized in languages, and