IntroductiontoLinguistics-陇东学院外国语学院.ppt

1 About LANGUAGE The definition of Language Design Features of Language Functions of Language 2 About LINGUISTICS Main branches of linguistics Important distinctions in linguistics Linguistics Linguistics, simply, is the study of language. Then, What is languages ? Is language human specific ? Do animals have language? Language is purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntarily produced symbols (Sapir, 1921). Language is a system of arbitrary, vocal symbols which permit all people in a given culture, or other people who have learned the system of that culture to communicate or to interact (Finocchiaro, 1965). Language is a system of communication by sound, operating through the organs of speech, among members of a given community, and using vocal symbols possessing arbitrary conventional meaning (Pei, 1966) The generally accepted definition: Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication (Wardhaugh, 1972). Explanations Firstly, language is a system, i.e., elements of language are combined according to rules. “iblk”, “Been he wounded has” are unacceptable. Secondly, language is arbitrary in the sense that there is no intrinsic connection between the word ‘pen’ and the thing we use to write with. Explanations The fact that different language have different words for the same object is a good illustration of the arbitrary nature of language. This also explain the symbolic nature of language: words are just symbols; they are associated with objects, actions, ideas, etc, by convention. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” .(Romeo and Juliet) Thirdly, language is vocal because the primary medium is sound for all languages, no matter how well developed their writing systems are. All evidence points to the fact that writing systems came into being much later than the spoken forms and that they are only att