Chapter 1 Introduction.doc

Modern LinguisticsChapter 1 Introduction1、Explain the following definition of linguistics: Linguistics is the scientific study of language.Linguistics investigates not any particular language, but languages in general. Linguistic study is scientific because it is based on the systematic investigation of authentic language data. No serious linguistic conclusion is reached until after the linguist has done the following three things: 1. observing the way language is actually used2. formulating some hypotheses3. testing these hypotheses against linguistic acts to prove their validity2、What are the major branches of linguistics? What does each of them study?Phonetics How speech sounds are produced and classified Phonology How sounds form systems and function to convey meaningMorphology How morpheme are combined to form words.Syntax How morphemes and words are combined to form sentences.Semantics The study of meaning (in abstraction).Pragmatics The study of meaning in context of use.Sociolinguistics the study of language with reference to society.Psycholinguistics the study of language with reference to the workings of the mind.Applied Linguistics The application of linguistic principles and theories to language teaching and learning3、In modern linguistics mainly synchronic or diachronic? Why?Modern linguistics is mainly synchronic, focusing on the present-day language. Unless the various states of a language are successfully studied, it will not be possible to describe language from a diachronic point of view.4、Which enjoys priority in modern linguistics, speech or writing?Speech enjoys priority over writing in modern linguistic study for the following reasons:1. Speech precedes writing in terms of evolution.2. A larger amount of communication is carried out in speech than in writing. 3. Speech is the form in which infants acquire their native language.5、How is Saussures distinction between langue and parole similar to Chomskys distinction between competence and performance?1. Both Saussure and Chomsky make the distinction between the abstract language system and the actual use of language. Saussure defines langue as the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community, and parole (as) the realization of langue in actual use. Chomsky defines competence as the ideal users knowledge of the rules of his language, and performance (as) the actual realization of this knowledge in linguistic communication. 2. Both made the distinction in order to single out one aspect of language for serious study. Both think that what linguists should do is to study the abstract language system rather than the actual use of language and to discover the rules governing the actual use of language.3. While Saussures distinction and Chomskys are very similar, they differ at least in one aspect. That is, Saussure takes a sociological view of language and his notion of langue is a matter of social conventions, and Chomsky looks at language from a psychological point of view and to him competence is a property of the mind of each individual.6、What characteristics of language do you think should be included in a good, comprehensive definition of language.Language is a rule-governed system.Language is basically vocal.Language is arbitrary.Language is used for human communication.7、What features of human language have been specified by C. Hockett to show that it is essentially different from any animal communication system1. Arbitrariness a sign of sophistication only humans are capable of.2. Creativity animals are quite limited in the messages they are able to send.3. Duality a feature totally lacking in any animal communication4. Displacement no animal can “talk” about things removed from the immediate situation.5. Cultural transmission details of human language system are taught and learned while animals are born with the capacity to send out certain signals as a means of limited communication. 8. Why is language not entirely arbitrary?Because there are words in every language that imitate natural sounds, such as crash, bang in English. Besides, some compound words are also not entirely arbitrary. These words can not be made freely.9. Why is language culturally transmitted and why are animal call systems genetically transmitted Because the details of any language are not genetically transmitted, instead they have to be taught and learned. It is passed on from one generation to another through teaching and learning rather than by instinct. In contrast, animals are born with the capacity to produce the set of calls peculiar to their species, so animal call systems are genetically transmitted.10. Language has the design feature of duality. Why?The duality nature of language means that language is a system, which consists of two sets of structures, or two levels, one of sounds and the other of meanings. At the lower or the basic level, there is the structure of sounds, which are meaningless. At the higher level, the units can be arranged and rearranged into an infinite number of sentences.11. Why is productivity unique to language?Language is productive or creative in that it makes possible the construction and interpretation of new signals by its users. The users can send messages which no one else has ever sent before. 12. What does the displacement feature of language stem?Displacement means that language can be used to refer to things which are present or not present, real or imagined matters in the past, present, or future, or in far-away places. In other words, language can be used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situations of the speaker.13. How is modern linguistic different from traditional grammar?Modern linguistics differs from traditional grammar. Traditional grammar is prescriptive; it is based on “high” (religious, literary) written language. It sets models for language users to follow. But modern linguistics is descriptive; its investigations are based on authentic and mainly spoken language data. It is supposed to be scientific and objective and the task of linguists is supposed to describe the language people actually use, whether it is “correct” or not.14. What is the distinction between a synchronic study and a diachronic study?Language exists in time and changes through time. The description of a language at some point in time is a synchronic study; the description of a language as it changes through time is a diachronic study. It studies the historical development of language over a period.15. Why does modern linguistic regard the spoken form of language as primary?Speech and writing are the two major media of communication. Modern linguistics regards the spoken form of language as primary, but not the written form, because the spoken form of language as primary, but not the written form, because the s