[文学]the nature of linguistics.ppt

Lecture3 Invitations to Linguistics Wang Aihua General Introduction to Linguistics Overview: Review: the nature of language The definition of linguistics Main branches of linguistics (microlinguistics) Macrolinguistics Some important distinctions in linguistics 1. Review of the nature of language Questions1: what are the four design features of language? Question2: Explain Jakobson’s six functions Question3: what are the three metafunctions of language in Halliday’s view? Question4: What is the metalingual function of language? Can you give some examples? When do we use them most often?(ex.12) 2. What is Linguistics? the scientific study of language or the science of language (social science): The scientific features of linguistic study exhasutiveness consistency economy objectivity The process of linguistic study can be summarized as follows: First, certain linguistic facts are observed, which are found to display some similarities, and generalizations are made about them; Next, based on these generalizations, hypotheses are formulated to account for these facts; and then the hypotheses are tested by further observations; and Finally a linguistic theory is constructed about what language is and how it works. Main Aims of linguistic theory 1. What is knowledge of language? (Competence) 2. How is knowledge of language acquired? (Acquisition) 3. How is knowledge of language put to use? (Performance/language processing) 3. Main branches of Linguistics a tree-like illustration as follows: The “tourist map” of linguistics The apexes of the triangle are language signs, objects the signs refer to and users of language. physical foundation articulatory acoustic auditory the rules governing the structure, distribution, and sequencing of speech sounds and the shape of syllables. The area concerning the relationship between sign and object is semantics. According to de Saussure, the relationship here is main