语言学教程英汉对照.doc

Linguistics Chapter 1 Invitations to Linguistics 1. What is language Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. Language is a system A basic observation is that each language contains two systems, a system of sound and a system of meaning. B. Language is arbitrary The relation between expression and content is not natural but conventional. And this conventional relation varies from language to language. e.g. It is called a “老鼠” in Chinese, while a “rat” or “mouse” in English C. Language is vocal The primary medium of language is sound rather than word. written forms came much later than the spoken forms; we speak more everyday; we learn to speak first. D. Language is symbolic 象征性的 Language is symbolic in the sense that all the sounds people produce and the ideas, concepts, objects, etc. that these sounds can refer to are bounded up by convention. 惯例Linguistic units are conventional signs. E. Language is human-specific Language is possessed only by human beings, other communication systems as possessed by animals or many other life forms are not languages, i.e. they do not manifest such features as the so-called design features as possessed by human language. F. Language is for communication The main and primary function of language is to communicate. People say things to each other to express their communicational needs, and language functions to communicate general attitudes toward life and others. 2. Design features of language (1) Arbitrariness:任意性 there is no logical connection between meaning and sound. (2) Duality：双重性 language is a system, which consists of two levels of structures, at the lower level there is the structure of sounds; at the higher level there is the structure of words. (3) Creativity：创造性 Language is creative in the sense that users can understand and create sentences they have never heard before. (4) Displacement：移位性 language can be used to communicate about things that are not present in