语言学导论 综合试题

Chapter 1 Invitations to Linguistics

I. Define the following terms.

design features synchronic diachronic prescriptive descriptive arbitrariness duality displacement metalanguage competence phatic communion macrolinguistics performance langue parole II. Choose the best answer.

1. Linguistics is the scientific study of __________.

A. a particular language

B. the English language

C. human languages in general

D. the system of a particular language

2. Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human __________.

A. contact

B. communication

C. relation

D. community

3. The function of the sentence “Water boils at 100 degrees Centigrade.” is __________.

A. interrogative

B. directive

C. informative

D. performative

4. In Chinese when someone breaks a bowl or a plate the host or the people present are likely to say“碎碎（岁岁）平安”as a means of controlling the forces which the believers feel might affect their lives. Which function does it perform?

A. Interpersonal

B. Emotive

C. Performative

D. Recreational

5. Which of the following property of language enables language users to overcome the barriers caused by time and place, due to this feature of language, speakers of a language are free to talk about anything in any situation?

A. Creativity

B. Duality

C. Displacement

D. Arbitrariness

6. Study the following dialogue. What function does it play according to the functions of language?

—A nice day, isn’t it?

— Right! I really enjoy the sunlight.

A. Emotive

B. Phatic

C. Performative

D. Interpersonal

7. __________ refers to the actual realization of the ideal language user’s knowledge of the rules of his language in utterances.

A. Performance

B. Competence

C. Langue

D. Parole

8. When a dog is barking, you assume it is barking for something or at someone that exists here and now. It couldn’t be sorrowful for some lost love or lost bone. This indicates the design feature of __________.

A. Arbitrariness

B. productivity

C. displacement

D. duality

9. __________ answers such questions as how we as infants acquire our first language.

A. Psycholinguistics

B. Anthropological linguistics

C. Sociolinguistics

D. Applied linguistics

10. ______ is the study of how language works in social interaction.

A. Sociolinguistics

B. Psycholinguistics

C. Cognitive linguistics

D. Neurolinguistics

11. Which of the following words is entirely arbitrary?

A. tree

B. typewriter

C. crash

D. bang

12. As modern linguistics aims to describe and analyze the language people actually use, and not to lay down rules for "correct" linguistic behavior, it is said to be ___.

A. prescriptive

B. sociolinguistic

C. descriptive

D. psycholinguistic

13. The branch of linguistics that studies how context influences the way speakers interpret sentences is called ___.

A. semantics

B. pragmatics

C. sociolinguistics

D. psycholinguistics

14. The fact that different languages have different words for the same object is good proof that human language is ______.

A. arbitrary

B. non-arbitrary

C. logical

D. non-productive

15. The study of how words are combined to form sentences is called _______.

A. phonetics

B. morphology

C. syntax

D. semantics

16. ______ is the study of the linguistic meaning of words and sentences.

A. Semantics

B. Pragmatics

C. Syntax

D. Morphology

Ⅲ. Blank-filling.

1. Language is a system of ________ ________ symbols used for human communication.

2. Linguistics is generally defined as the ________ study of ________.

3. If a linguistic study describes and analyzes the language people actually use, it is said to be ________; if it aims to lay down rules for “correct” behavior, it is said to be ________.

4. In modern linguistics, ________ study seems to enjoy priority over ________ study. The reason is that successful studies of various states of a language would be the foundations of a historical study.

5. Langue refers to the ________ linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community; and parole refers to the ________ of langue in actual use.

6. Chomsky de fines competence as the ideal user’s ________ of the rules of his language, and performance, the actual ________ of this knowledge in linguistic communication.

7. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. This famous quotation from Shakespeare illustrate that language has the design feature of ________.

8. The property of ________ of language provides a speaker with an opportunity to talk about a wide range of things, free from barriers caused by separation in time and place.

9. Language is a system, which consists of two sets of structures, one of ________, and the other of ________. This double articulation of language enables its users to talk about anything within their knowledge.

10. An English speaker and a Chinese speaker are both able to use language,