语言学学名词解释.docx

1、语言学学名词解释语言学学名词解释1)Linguistics is generally defined as the scientific or systematic study of (human) language. a.The word language preceded by zero article in English implies that linguistics studies not any particular language, e.g. English , Chinese , French and Japanese, but languages in general.

2、b.The word study does not mean “learn” but “investigate”.c.The word scientific refers to the way in which language is studied.It is a science in the sense that it scientifically studies the rules,systems and principles of human languages. It deals with a wide range of linguistic phenomena,analyzes t

3、hem,and makes general statements about them.2)Linguistics is always guided by the 3 canons of science:(e c e)exhaustiveness: it strives for thorough-goingness in the examination of relevant materials;consistency: there should be no contradiction between different parts of the total statementeconomy:

4、 other things being equal, a shorter statement or analysis is to be preferred to one that is longer or more complex. (e c e)3) The subject matter of linguistics is all natural language, living or dead.4) Linguistics has 2 main purposes:it studies the nature of language and tries to establish a theor

5、y of language, and describes languages in the light of the theory established.It examines all the forms of language in general and seeks a scientific understanding of the ways in which it is organized to fulfill the needs it serves and the functions it performs in human lifelinguistics differs from

6、traditional grammar at least in 3 basic ways:Linguistics describes languages and does not lay down rules of correctness. Linguists are interested in what is said. So they are often said to be descriptive.Linguists regard the spoken language as primary. It is believed that speech came into being firs

7、t for any human language and the writing system came along much later.Traditional grammar is based on Latin and it tries to impose the Latin categories and structures on other languages, while linguistics describes each language on its own merits. For a student of language, some knowledge of linguis

8、tics is of both interest and importance.For a teacher of foreign languages, he will definitely a great deal from the knowledge of linguistics.For a researcher, there is even more scope for displaying his abilities.Why study linguistics ? 1. Linguistics takes an analytical approach to the study of la

9、nguage, and focus on developing skills in data analysis, problem solving, and logical thinking that can be applied to many fields. 2.It is an interdisciplinary subject. 3.Linguistics is a science that is still in its infancy but undergoing rapid development, and it is “a pilot science”.What and how

10、linguists study language? 1. nature of language (focus on language itself)2. nature of acquisition (focus on learners)3. nature of teaching (focus on teachers) The process of linguistic study can be summarized as follows:between language and society: how social factors influence the structure and us

11、e of language. Another name for sociolinguistics is the sociology of language. Psycholinguistics is the study of language and mind: the mental structures and processes which are involved in the acquisition, comprehension and production of language. Neurolinguistics or neurological linguistics is the

12、 study of language processing and language representation in the brain.Stylistics is the study of how literary effects can be related to linguistic features. It usually refers to the study of written language, including literary texts, but it also investigates spoken language sometimes.Discourse ana

13、lysis, or text linguistics is the study of the relationship between language and the contexts in which language is used.Computational linguistics is an approach to linguistics which employs mathematical techniques, often with the help of a computer.Cognitive linguistics is an approach to the analysi

14、s of natural language that focuses on language as an instrument for organizing, processing, and conveying information.Apart from the different branches of linguistics, there are some distinctions of linguistics, such as: functional linguistics vs formal linguistics; theoretical linguistics vs applie

15、d linguistics.Applied linguistics is primarily concerned with the application of linguistic theories, methods and findings to the elucidation of language problems which have arisen in other areas of experience.Phonetics（语音学）:Phonetics is the scientific study of speech sounds. It studies how speech s

16、ounds are articulated, transmitted, and received. It is a pure science and examines speech sounds in general.Phonetics: The general study of the characteristics of speech sounds.Phonology（音系学/音位学）: The description of the systems and patterns of speech sounds in a language.Phonology is the study of h

17、ow speech sounds function in a language. It studies the ways speech sounds are organized. It can be seen as the functional phonetics of a particular language.Morphology（形态学，词法学）: The study of the way in which morphemes are arranged to form words.Morphology is the study of the formation of words. It

18、is a branch of linguistics which breaks words into morphemes.Syntax（句法学）: The study of those rules that govern the combination of words to form permissible sentences.Syntax deals with the combination of words into phrases, clauses and sentences. It is the grammar of sentence construction.Semantics(语

19、义学） is a branch of linguistics which is concerned with the study of meaning in abstraction.Pragmatics can be defined as the study of language in use. It deals with how speakers use language in ways which cannot be predicted from linguistic knowledge alone, and how hearers arrive at the intended mean

20、ing of speakers. In a broad sense, pragmatics studies the principles observed by human beings when they communicate with one another.Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. This definition is widely accepted because it includes some of the important characterist

21、ics of human language. Language as system -The key word in the definition is system. Language is systematic. Otherwise we would not be able to learn or use it consistently. Each language system contains two subsystems: a system of sound and a system of meaning. Language is a systemelements in it are

22、 not arranged and combined randomly, but according to some rules and principles.Language as arbitrary -There is no natural relationship between the sound and what it means in a certain language. The relation between sound and meaning is almost always arbitrary or conventional. The relation between s

23、ound and meaning is almost always arbitrary.A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.Romeo and JulietThe relation between sound and meaning is almost always conventional荀子正名：“名无固宜，约之以命，约定俗成谓之宜，异于约则谓之不宜。名无固实,约之以命实，约定俗成，谓之实名。名有固善，径易而不拂，谓之善名。” 道德经 第一章道

24、可道，非常道。名可名，非常名。无名天地之始；有名万物之母。Language as vocal -By vocal we mean that the primary medium of all languages is sound, no matter how well developed their writing system might be. Language as symbol -Language is just symbol for the thing it refers. Language is a symbolic system. Language as human -Langu

25、age is human-specific, it is very different from animal communication systems. No system of animal communication makes use of the design features of human language .Language as communication -Language is used for human communication. It allows people to say things to each other and express their com

26、municative needs.Design feature refer to the defining properties of human language that distinguish it form any animal system of communication.Arbitrariness: there is no logical or intrinsic connection between a particular sound and the meaning it is associated with.Productivity or creativity: mans

27、linguistic ability which enables him to produce and understand an infinitely large number of sentences in our native language, including the sentences which were never heard before.Duality or double articulation: this organization of language into two levels-a level of sounds, a level of meaning.Dis

28、placement: Displacement is a property of language enabling people to talk about things remote either in space or in time.Cultural transmissionLanguage is culturally transmitted. It cannot be transmitted through heredity.A human being brought up in isolation simply does not acquire language. What lan

29、guage the baby is going to speak is determined by the culture he is born into. Interchangeability or reciprocity : man can both produce and receive messages, and his roles as a speaker and a hearer can be exchanged at ease.Specialization: man does not have a total physical involvement in the act of

30、communication. Speech is a specialized activity. We use it in a detached manner.Language functions as a principal means of communication.It also functions as social control.It is not only a psychological phenomenon, but also a social factThe primary function of language is to transmit information an

31、d to convey commands,feelings and emotions. Language is a tool of communication. “Communication” can be used to cover much of the function of language. Here are some of the major categories: The functions of language :Phatic function/communion（寒暄功能）: Language is used to establish an atmosphere or ma

32、intain social contact between the speaker and the hearer. Greetings, farewells, and comments on the weather serve this function. Directive (指令) function : Language serves a directive function when it is used to get the hearer do something. Most imperative sentences have this function. Get out! Close the window, please., Walk slowly are a few examples. Informative(信息) function : Language serves an informative function when it is used to tell what the speaker believes, to give informatio