简明英语语言学知识点汇总

新编简明英语语言学知识点汇总

1 Introduction

1.1 What is linguistics?

Scientific study of language.

Interpretation:

word/media/image1.giftry to answer the basic questions and probe into various problems related to language;

word/media/image2.giflinguistics studies not any particular language but language in general;

word/media/image3.gifscientific study because based on systematic investigation of linguistic data.

1.1.2 The scope of linguistics

The study of language as a whole is often called general linguistic.

1.1.3 Some important distinctions in linguistics

1.2 What is language

1.2.1 Definitions of language

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

Characteristics:

word/media/image1.giflanguage is system,elements of language are combined according to the rules;

word/media/image2.giflanguage is arbitrary in the sense that there is no intrinsic connection between a linguistic symbol and what it stands for, A rose by any other name would smell as well;

word/media/image3.giflanguage is vocal because the primary medium for all language is sound;

word/media/image4.giflanguage is human -specific,different from animal communication.

1.2.2 Design features of language

Proposed by American linguist Charles Hockett:comparing the animal & human communication systems.Following are five major design features of human language:

word/media/image1.gifarbitrariness

No logical connection between meaning and sounds(except onomatopoetic and compound words)

word/media/image2.gifproductivity

It makes to possible to construction and interpretation of new signal by its users.

word/media/image3.gifduality

Language is a system which consists of two structures. At the lower level there is a structure of sounds,which are meaningless by themselves.But the sounds can grouped or regrouped together into a larger numbers of units of meaning such as morpheme or words,which are found at the higher level of system(carp & park).Then the higher level can be arranged and rearranged into an infinite numbers of sentences;

word/media/image4.gifDisplacement

Language can be used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situations of the speakers;

word/media/image5.gifcultural transmission

While human capacity for language has a genetic basis,the details of any language systems are not genetically transmitted, but instead have to be taught and learned.(language is cultural transmitted[language not mutually intelligible] while animal call system is genetically transmitted)

1.2.3 Functions of language

Three main functions of language which distinct from each other but actually overlapping to some degree:

word/media/image1.gifdescriptive function

The primary function of language;

The function to convey factual information, which can be asserted or denial, and in some case even verified.e.g: The Sichuan earthquake is the most serious one China has ever suffered.

word/media/image2.gifexpressive function

Supply information about the user’s feeling,preference,prejudices and value,etc.I will never come to this coffee shop again.

word/media/image3.gifsocial function

Serves to establish and maintain social relations between people. How can I help you, Sir?

Others:

Russian-born structural linguist Roman Jakobson：six elemens (function)of a speech:

Addresser-emotive (动机) addressee-conative(意动) context-referential message-poetic contact-phatic communion

code-metalinguistic

British linguistic M.A.K Halliday:

word/media/image1.gifideational function(语篇功能)[included descriptive & expressive functin] is to organize the speaker’s experience of the real or imaginary world.

word/media/image2.gifinterpersonal function is to indicate ,establish,or maintain social relationship between people.[social function]

word/media/image3.giftextual function is to organize written or spoken texts to cohere within themselves and fit to the particular situation in which they are used.

2.Phonology

2.1 The phonic medium of language

Speech sounds produced by human speech organ

Two major media of communication:speech and writing;

2.2phonetics

2.2.1 what is phonetics?

The study of phonic medium of language;it is concerned with all the sounds that occurs in the world’s language.

word/media/image6.gif Articulatory phonetics(发音语言学)

Three branches Auditory phonetics(听觉语言学)

Acoustic phonetics(声学语言学)

2.2.2 organs of speech

word/media/image7.gif Pharyngeal cavity(咽喉)

Nasal cavity（鼻腔）

Oral cavity（口腔）

Voicing:vibration of the vocal cords

2.2.3 orthgraphic representation of speech sounds :broad & narrow

International phonetic alphabet:letter→sounds

Broad(used in textbook):letter symbols [p]

Narrow: letter symbols + diacritics(变音符)[phit] [spit]

h→aspiration [phonetician more interested in]

2.2.4 classification of English speech sounds

2.2.4.1 classification of English consonant

2.2.4.2 classification of English vowels

Monophthongs：

2.3 phonology

2.3.1 phonology & phonetics

word/media/image8.gif

word/media/image9.gif2.3.2 phone phoneme allophone

word/media/image10.gif2.3.3 phonemic contrast complementary distribution minimal pair

2.3.4 some rules in phonology

word/media/image11.gifSequential rules assimilation rule deletion rule

2.3.5 suprasegmental features(phonemic features that occur above the level of segments)

Stress : N & v

Tone： 四声

Intonation： different may convey different meaning even the sentences unchanged

3.Morphology

Grammar that is concerned with word formation and word structure

word/media/image12.gif

Word: the smallest free form found in language

Morpheme: the smallest unit of meaning

Root stem base

Root: believe

Stem: believable (除掉所有的语法成份,留下词根和派生成份)

Base：unbelievable (un的词基)

word/media/image13.gif

Derivational morpheme:change category grammatical class of words

Prefix:change meaning

Suffix: change meaning and parts of speech

Inflectional morpheme:signify tense number case

Word formation:

word/media/image1.gifClipping（shortening & abbreviation）

[no change of part of speech]

I.e gym expo memo disco burger quake fridge script

word/media/image2.gifback-formation

[change of part of speech]

I.e editor-edit hawker-hawk beggar-beg baby-sister--baby-sit

Butcher-butch donation-donate orientation-orient(ate)

word/media/image3.gifconversion(functional shift)

I.e: N-v v-n a-v a-n

word/media/image4.gifacronyms

[pronounced as words]

CEO B2B IT CPI IAD WTO BBS(FOR BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM)

APEC AIDS UNESCO UCLA IDD

word/media/image5.gifinitialism

[produced as letters]

C.O.D FBI EEC

word/media/image14.gifblending

Smoke+fog=smog

Taikong+astronaut=taikonaut

word/media/image15.gifcompounding

Bittersweet landlady

word/media/image16.gifonomatopoeia

Blast rustle

5.Semantics

Some views concerning the study of meaning:

1) the naming theory,plato,words →objects

Limitations: √N ×ADJ ADV V

√Concrete ×abstract

2) the conceptualist view

Semantic triangle,ogden & richards

words→mind→words

Limitations:what is the precisely link symbol and concept unclarify

3) Contextualism

J.R Firth

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