语言学期末考试考点一览

Chapter 1 Linguistics

定义

Language:Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.

▲Language distinguishes human beings from animals because it is far more sophisticated than any animal communication system.

Linguistics: the scientific study of human languages.

It studies not just one language of any one society, but the language of all human

beings.

★注：语言学研究的是所有人类的语言，并不是局限于如英语等某一门语言。Language is vocal

1) The primary medium for all languages is sound.

2) Writing systems came into being much later than the spoken forms.

Word is the smallest unit that can be used, by itself, as a complete utterance.

词是能够独立构成一个完整语句的最小单位

Design features 语言的定义特征

Design features: the distinctive features of human language that essentially make human language distinguishable from languages of animals. （定义填空题）

▲语言的四个Design features 也是区别人类语言好动物语言的特征

A、Arbitrariness 任意性

There is no logical connection between meanings and sounds.

语言形式的符号与所表示的意义无天然的联系。

Different sounds are used to refer to the same object in different languages.

（语素音义关系的任意性）

Arbitrariness at the syntactic level: language is not arbitrary at the syntactic level.

（语言在句法层面是非任意性）【判断题】

The link between a linguistic sign and its meaning is a matter of convention.

语言的形式和意义的连接是约定俗成，即规约性

★任意性具有两个层面，而非any level !!! (判断题)

Arbitrariness →Makes language potentially creative

language

convention →Makes language systematic

B、Duality 双重性，二元性

Human language is productive or creative due to duality and recursiveness(递归

性).

The structural organization of language into two abstract levels: ♦At the lower level (the secondary level) : meaningful units

♦At the higher level (the primary level) : meaningless segments Expression of duality:

♦ 1. Combine meaningless sounds into meaningful linguistic units

♦ 2. Combine small units into big units

C、Creativity 创造性

Language is resourceful because of its duality and its recursiveness. We can use it to create new meanings. （recurse sentence）

Recursiveness：it refers to the rule which can be applied repeatedly without

definite limit.

D、Displacement 移位性

Human languages enable their users to symbolize objects, events and concepts

which are not present (in time and space) at the moment of communication.

移位性指人类语言可以让使用者在交际时用语言符号代表时间上和空间上并不可及的物体，时间或观点。

动物语言与人类语言移位性的表现

Such animals are under “immediate stimulus control”. Human language is, on the contrary, stimulus free.(动物语言会受到直接刺激控制)

Our language enables us to communicate about things that do not exist or do not yet exist.

Functions of Language语言的功能

A、The informative function (信息功能)

Informative function: the major role of language; language is the instrument of thought and people often use it to communicate new information.

B、Interpersonal Function(人际功能)

Interpersonal Function: the most important sociological use of language, by which people establish and maintain their status in a society.

eg:Dear Sir, Dear Professor, Johnny, yours, your obedient servant…等表称呼的

C、The performative function (施事功能):