英语语言学试题(1)

IV. Directions: Explain the following terms, using one or two examples for illustration. (3%×10=30%)

31、duality

32、diachronic linguistics

33、broad transcription

34、morphological rules

35、phrase structure rule

36、relational opposites

37、componential analysis

38、context

39、euphemism

40、brain lateralization

V. Answer the following questions. (10%×2=20%)

41、Explain how the inventory of sounds can change, giving some examples in English for illustration.

42、Briefly discuss the individual factors which affect the acquisition of a second language.

答案：四、名词解释题（本大题共10小题，每小题3分，共30分）

31、One of the major defining features of human language. Human language consists of two levels. At the lower level, there are a limited number of sounds which are meaningless while at the higher level there are an unlimited number of combinations of these sounds. It is also known as double articulation.

32、Linguistics that studies language over a period of time, also known as historical linguistics,

e.g.the study of the Chinese language since the end of the Qing dynasty up to the present.

33、A way to transcribe speech sounds. The basic principle is to use one letter to indicate one sound. It is generally used in dictionaries and language teaching textbooks.

34、The rules that govern which affix can be added to what type of stem to form a new word,

e.g.-ly can be added to a noun to form an adjective.

35、a rewrite rule that allows for the possible combinations of words to form phrases and sentences

36、Relational opposites, a kind of antonyms, refer to pairs of words that exhibit the reversal of a relationship between the two items. For example, "husband" and "wife", "father" and "son" etc. 37、Componential analysis is a way proposed by the structural semanticists to analyze word meaning. The approach is based upon the belief that the meaning of a word can be dissected into meaning components, called semantic features. For example, the word "man" is analyzed as comprising of +HUMAN,+ADULT,+ANIMA TE,+MALE.

38、Context is regarded as constituted by all kinds of knowledge assumed to be shared by the speaker and the hearer, For example, the knowledge of the language used and the knowledge of the world, including the general knowledge about the world and the specific knowledge about the situation in which linguistic communication is taking place.

39、A euphemism is a mild, indirect or less offensive word or expression that replaces a taboo word or serves to avoid more direct wording that might be harsh, unpleasantly direct, or offensive,

e.g. "pass away" for "die".

40、Brain lateralization refers to the localization of cognitive and perceptual functions in a particular hemisphere of the brain. For example, the right hemisphere processes stimuli more holistically and the left hemisphere more analytically. In most people, the left hemisphere has