linguistics+Lecture+1.doc

Lecture 1Introduction to LanguageKuai zhenhua (4 Sept., 2012)1 Teaching Points1) What is linguistics?2) What is language?3) The functions of language4) The defining features of language5) The origin of language 6) The acquisition of language7) The main branches of linguistics8) Important distinctions in linguistics 2 What is Linguistics?Definition: The scientific study of human language 1) Linguistics studies not any particular language, but it studies languages in general. 2) What the linguist has to do first is to collect and observe language facts, then 3) The linguist formulates some hypotheses about the language structure them.4) The relation between data and theory: both stand in dialectical complementation.5) The Aim is to discover the nature and rules of the underlying language system.3 What is Language? 1) Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913): Course in General Linguistics (1916)Language “is not to be confused with human speech, of which it is only a definite part, though certainly an essential one. It is both a social product of the faculty of speech and a collection of necessary conventions that have been adopted by a social body to permit individuals to exercise that faculty”. 2) Edward Sapir (1884-1939): Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech (1921) “Language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntarily produced symbols.” 3) Bernard Bloch (1907-1965) & George Trager (1906-1992): Outline of Linguistic Analysis (1942) “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group co-operates.” 4) George Trager : The Field of Linguistics (1949) “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which the members of a society interact in terms of their total culture.” 5) Noam Chomsky (1928- ): Syntactic Structures (1957) “From now on I will consider language to be a set (finite or infinite) of sentences, each finite in length and constructed out of a finite set of elements.” 6) 胡壮麟 语言学教程 (2006) “Language is a means of verbal communication.”It is instrumental in that communicating by speaking or writing is a purposeful act. It is social and conventional in that language is a social semiotic and communication can only take place effectively if all the users share a broad understanding of human interaction including such associated factors as nonverbal cues, motivation, and socio-cultural roles. Summary of the definitions aboveLanguage is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communicationFirst of all, language is a system, i.e., elements of language are combined according to rules.Second, language is arbitrary in the sense that there is no intrinsic connection between a linguistic symbol and what the symbol stands form.Third, language is vocal because the primary medium for all languages is sound.Fourth, language is human-specific, i.e., it is very different from the communication systems other forms of life possess.3 The Functions of Language 3.1 Different classifications3.1.1. Jakobsons view point Language is above all for communication. While for many people, the purpose of communication is referential, for him (and the Prague school structuralists), reference is not the only, not even the primary goal of communication. Language functions are as follows:1) referential2) poetic3) emotive4) conative5) phatic6) metalingual3.1.2. Hallidays view pointHalliday proposes a theory of metafunctions of language, that is, language has ideational, interpersonal and textual functions. 3.1.3 The view point held by Hu zhuanglin(胡壮麟)and Chen xinren(陈新仁)1) Phatic2) Directive3) Informative4) Interrogative5) Expressive6) Evocative7) Performative3.2 The basic functions of language1) Informative function Language is the instrument of thought and people often feel need to speak their thoughts aloud. The use of language to record the facts is a prerequisite of social development. 2) Interpersonal function By far the most important sociological use of language, and by which people establish and maintain their status in a society.In the framework of functional grammar, the interpersonal function is concerned with interaction between the addresser and addressee in the discourse situation and the addressers attitude toward what he speaks or writes about. Attached to the interpersonal function is its function of expressing identity. 3) Performative functionThe performative function of language is primarily to change the social status of persons, as in marriage ceremonies, the sentencing of criminals, the blessing of children, the naming of a ship at a launching ceremony, and the cursing of enemies. 4) Emotive functionThe emotive function of language is one of the most powerful uses of language because it is crucial in changing the emotional status of an audience for or against someone or something. It is a means of getting rid of our nervous energy when we are under stress.5) Phatic communion Phatic communion refers to the social interaction of language. We all use such small, seemingly meaningless expressions to maintain a comfortable relationship between people without involving any factual content. Different cultures have different topics of phatic communion. Broadly speaking, this function refers to expressions that help define and maintain interpersonal relations, such as slang, jokes, jargons, ritualistic exchanges, switches to social and regional dialects6) Recreational function The use of language for the sheer joy of using it, such as a babys babbling or a chanters chanting. 7) Metalingual function Our language can be used to talk about itself. To organize any written text into a coherent whole, writers employ certain expressions to keep their readers informed about where they are and where they are going. 4 The Design Features of LanguageLanguage distinguishes human beings from animals in that it is far more sophisticated than any animal communication system.4.1 The definitions of Terms 1. Semiotics (符号学) the analysis of systems using signs or signals for the purpose of communication (semiotic systems). The most important semiotic system is human language, but there are other systems, e.g. Morse code, SIGN LANGUAGE, traffic signals2. Design features (内在特征/识别特征)Design features refer to the defining properties of human language that distinguish it from any animal system of communication. By comparing language with animal communication systems, we get a better understanding of the nature of language.4.2 Design Features of Language1）ArbitrarinessSaussure: the forms of linguistic signs bear no natural relationship to their meaning Arbitrary relationship between the sound of a morpheme and its meaning, even with onomatopoeic words.At the syntactic level：language is not arbitrary at the syntactic level. At the word-building level: some compound words are not entirely arbitrary.2) DualityThe 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.3) Creativity Words can be used in new ways to mean new things, and can be instantly understood by people who have never come across that usage before.4) DisplacementHuman languages enable their users to symbolize objects, events and concepts which are not present (in time and space) at the moment of communication.5) Cultural transmissionLanguage is not genetically inherited, and is culturally transmitted. That is, it is passed on from one generation to the next by teaching and learning, rather