语言学教程第一章

1、School of Foreign Languages, Shandong University of Technology What do you expect of the course? Textbook:Textbook: 胡壮麟（主编），2011，语言学教 程（第四版），北京大学出版社。 Time for the courseTime for the course：two sessions, one year Assessment method:Assessment method: final examination (70%) +attendance+homework Miss m

2、ore than six classes, fail; Leave of absence for private affairs for more than eleven classes, fail. Aim:Aim:This course will present you with some of the basic knowledge about language, including the nature of language, its system and organization, its relations with other factors such as psycholog

3、y, culture, society, mind, literature, language learning and teaching, etc. Have a basic understanding on the key ideas and main branches of linguistics. Develop the ability of observation and analysis uThe myths of language wait us to reveal: u四川人不怕辣，湖南人辣不怕，贵州人怕不辣。 u我激动得说都不会话了。 u菊 清平乐 相逢缥缈，窗外又拂晓。长忆

4、清弦弄浅笑，只恨人间花少。 黄菊不待清尊，相思飘落无痕。风雨重阳又过，登高多少 黄昏。 uIs bilingual environment beneficial for childrens IQ? uIs English or Chinese a more developed language than others? u Why bother to study linguistics uIt makes you distinct from mere English learners and English speakers. uIt helps to develop your ability

5、 to think consciously, the ability to find and solve problems. uIt is tested if you pursue your graduate study in the English department. Why bother to study linguistics 网络教学平台网络教学平台 Preview and review Relate it to your daily language use, use it as a tool to explain An official account in Wechat :

6、语言学语言学 午餐午餐Ling-Lunch Language of commonsense Vs. Language of science The discourse of science cannot translate into commonsense without lost of meaning. In any typical group of science students there will be some who find themselves in difficulty. 人之为学有难易乎？学之，则难者亦易 矣；不学，则易者亦难矣。 Chapter 1 Invitation

7、s to linguistics Chapter 2 Speech sounds Chapter 3 Morphology (word formation) Chapter 4 Syntax (sentence structure) Chapter 5 Meaning Chapter 8 Language in use (meaning in use) The basic issues in this chapter: 1. What is Linguistics?1. What is Linguistics? 1.1 The definition of linguistics 1.2 Mai

8、n branches of linguistics 1.3 Important distinctions in linguistics 2. What is Language?2. What is Language? 2.1 The definition of language 2.2. Design features of language 2.3 Functions of language 1. What is Linguistics?1. What is Linguistics? Linguistics is the scientific study of Linguistics is

9、the scientific study of language.language. Two important messages are conveyed in this definition: first, scientific communicates the method that should be adopted in linguistic study; second, language communicates the proper object of study for linguistics. 1.1 The definition of linguistics1.1 The

10、definition of linguistics 1. Collect and observe language facts, which are found to display some similarities, and generalizations are made. 2. Hypotheses about the language structure are formulated. 3. The formulated hypotheses are checked against the observed facts to prove their validity. A one y

11、ear old boy pronounces some unintelligible sounds. His mom finds it like the sound of ball. (collect and observe) Thirsty? Hungry? Ball? Circles? The boy smiles when mom call circles in a handkerchief ball. Something round is a ball.（hypotheses） Try other round objects. (check the validity of hypoth

12、eses) What is language? What are rules there are that govern the structure of language? What do all languages have in common? How social factors are reflected in language? How does a child acquire his mother tongue? 1. Descriptive vs. prescriptive 2. Synchronic vs. diachronic 3. Langue and parole 4.

13、 Competence and performance 5. Speech and writing The descriptivedescriptive study of language is to record linguistic phenomena or rules, to study language as a social phenomenon. The prescriptiveprescriptive study of language is to state that certain linguistic phenomena or rules should or should

14、not be obeyed, like a grammar book does. Linguists usually use the first method in their study of language. Prescriptive: 网络语言不标准，不规范。 Descriptive: 网络语言的性质、词汇、句法、修辞特征； 网络语言的规范以及对待网络语言的态度； 网络语言与语文教学、当代社会文化、网民的 社会心理特征、网络词语及其意义生成的认知 机制等。 SynchronicSynchronic study of language takes a fixed instant as i

15、ts point of observation. Diachronic Diachronic study examines language through the course of time. It studies the development or history of language. 近代汉语副词研究60年（1949-2009） 汉语基本颜色词的进化阶段与颜色范畴 离合词形成的历史及成因分析 主观化对句法限制的消解 国外话语标记研究及其对汉语研究的启示 中英文前言作者自称语语用对比研究 Saussure made the distinction between languelan

16、gue and paroleparole. LangueLangue refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community. It is a social phenomenon. ParoleParole is the actual speaking of language by an individual speaker. It is an individual linguistic phenomenon. LangueParole 1set of convention

17、s and rules which language users all have to abide by the concrete use of the conventions and the application of the rules 2abstractconcrete 3relatively stablevaries from person to person, from situation to situation Chomskys competencecompetence refers to the ideal users knowledge of the rules of h

18、is language. It stresses the psychological or mental property of language. PerformancePerformance refers to the actual use of the language by a speaker in a real communicational context. It is the external realization of the internal linguistic competence. How is Chomskys distinction between compete

19、nce and performance similar to Saussures langue and parole? Similarity: the study object of linguists Differences: sociological view vs. psychological view Is speech or writing the primary medium of human languages according to modern linguists? Why? From the point of view of linguistic evolution Fr

20、om the ways that are gotten by users From the information conveyed 2. What is Language?2. What is Language? Language is a system of arbitrary Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human vocal symbols used for human communication. communication. Design features Design features refe

21、r to the defining properties of human language that distinguish it from any animal system of communication. They are devised to distinguish the communication system as possessed by human, which we term language, from communication systems as possessed by other life forms. By arbitrarinessarbitrarine

22、ss we mean that there is no logical or intrinsic connection between a particular sound and the meaning it is associated with. e.g. A is called a “laoshu” in Chinese, while a “rat” or “mouse” in English. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; an

23、d brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Genesis 2:19 OnomatopoeicOnomatopoeic words, as direct imitations of natural sounds, are not in conflict with this feature. e.g. a Chinese dog barks wangwangwang, whi

24、le an English dog barks bowwow. Although they describe the same sound, the forms are different. Arbitrariness at the syntactic level e.g. He came in and sat down. He sat down and came in. He sat down after he came in. Arbitrariness and convention The link between a linguistic sign and its meaning is

25、 a matter of convention. “When I I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I I choose it to mean neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you cancan make words mean so many different things.” By arbitrariness it means that there is no log

26、ical or intrinsic relation between sound and meaning for human language. However, this does not entail that speakers of human language can use language in his own manner, regardless of what other speakers would think. If language can be used to express meaning and exchange information, a mutual agre

27、ement as for what sound can express what meaning has to be reached at the first place, otherwise language would not exist at all. We call this mutual agreement conventionality. This is exactly what Alice remarks in the dialogue, i.e. you cannot use language in whatever way you yourself like it to be

28、 used. b k t l s f r : e u Old, sad, glad, let, back, far By dualityduality we mean that each language is organized at two levels, one is sound and the other is meaning. The sounds at the basic level are meaningless by themselves, but they can be grouped into a large number of units of meaning at hi

29、gher level of language. 山东 sound sounds words Lower level Higher level The advantage of this division is that we can use limited number of sounds to produce unlimited number of sound combinations with distinctive meanings. e.g. in the language of English we use around 48 sounds to produce almost inf

30、inite number of sound combinations (words). This feature is very economical for the system of language. A large number of words can be formed out of a small set of sounds. And out of the huge number of words, there can be endless number of sentences, which in turn can form unlimited number of texts.

31、 Sounds (small number) words (large number) sentences (large number) texts (large number) Does the traffic light system have duality? Can you explain by drawing a simple graph? Does the traffic light system have duality? Can you explain by drawing a simple graph? 蒜你狠、富二代、裸婚、低头族 A red-eyed elephant i

32、s dancing on a hotel bed By creativitycreativity we mean that speaker of a language can produce new expressions and understand utterances that they have never heard before. Can you tell which feature of language makes it a creative system? duality My goal for 2016 is to accomplish the goals of 2015

33、which I should have done in 2014 because I made a promise in 2013 dear teacher; lCan you think of other examples that performing the interpersonal function of language? Do you like my new hair style? Its terrible. I apologize for The interpersonal function is such a broad category that it is often d

34、iscussed under various other terms as performative, emotive (expressive), phatic, recreational. 3. Performative Function Language can be used to do things (Austin and Searle), to change the social status or the immediate state of affairs of people. e.g. in Western countries, when the priest says: “I

35、 thereby pronounce you husband and wife.” The marriage status of the couple is recognized legally. Can you think of other examples showing performative function? 4. Emotive Function Language can be used to express the emotional state of the speaker. e.g. exclamation. The expressions of gratitude and

36、 apology are also examples of this function. Expressive function 5. Phatic Communion Ritual exchanges, exchanges that have little meaning but help to maintain our relationships with other people. e.g. Speaker A: Whats up?” Speaker B: Hey, man, hows it going? (And each just walks on.) Can you mention

37、 some typical expressions of phatic communion in Chinese? 6. Recreational Function 1. （初入江湖）化肥会挥发 2. （小有名气）黑化肥发灰，灰化肥发黑 3. （名动一方）黑化肥发灰会挥发；灰化肥 挥发会发黑 4. （天下闻名）黑化肥挥发发灰会花飞；灰 化肥挥发发黑会飞花 5. （一代宗师）黑灰化肥会挥发发灰黑讳为 花飞；灰黑化肥会挥发发黑灰为讳飞花 Word play, word for words sake, the use of language to have fun. e.g. Tongue twis

38、ters such as she sells sea- shells on the sea-shore, and the shells that she sells on the sea-shore are sea-shells is uttered only for the sheer joy of language. The Chinese crosstalk and mini-comedy also belong to this category of language use. 7. Metalingual Function Language can be used to explai

39、n or describe itself or other languages. e.g. Man is bipedal hairless primate. Man is a noun. It is composed of 3 phonemes. How is Jakobsons theory similar to language functions we learned just now? Can you give examples for each function according to Jakobsons theory ? We use language to talk about

40、 our experience of the We use language to talk about our experience of the world, including the world in our own minds, to world, including the world in our own minds, to describe events and states and entities involved in describe events and states and entities involved in them. them. (ideational function)(ideational function) We also use language to interact with other people, to We also use language to interact with othe