英语语言学教程胡壮麟版之欧阳德创编

欧阳德创编2021.03.07 英语语言学教程（胡壮麟版） 时间：2021.03.07创作：欧阳德 Chapter one.Invitation to Linguistic. 1.1. What is language? “Language is system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. It is a system, sincelinguisticelementsarearranged systematically, rather than randomly. Arbitrary, in thesensethatthereisusuallynointrinsic connection between a work (like “book”) and theobjectitrefersto.Thisexplainsandis explained by the fact that different languages have different “books”: “book” in English, “livre”inFrench,“shu”inChinese.Itis symbolic, because words are associated with objects,actions,ideasetc.bynothingbut convention. Namely, people use the sounds or vocal s to symbolize what they wish to refer to. It is vocal, because sound or speech is the primary medium for all human languages. Writing 欧阳德创编2021.03.07 欧阳德创编2021.03.07 systems came much later than the spoken s. The fact that small children learn and can only learn to speak (and listen) before they write (and read) also indicates that language is primarily vocal, rather than written. The term “human” in the definition is meant to specify that language is human specific. 2.2. Design Features of Language. “Design features” here refer to the defining properties of human languagethat tellthe difference between human language and any systemofanimalcommunication.Theyare arbitrariness, duality, productivity, displacement, cultural transmission and interchangeability (1) Arbitrariness: By “arbitrariness”, we mean there is no logical connection between meanings and sounds. (2) Duality: The property of having two levels of structures (phonological and grammatical), units of the primary level being composed of elements of the secondary level and 欧阳德创编2021.03.07 欧阳德创编2021.03.07 each level having its own principles of organization. (3) Productivity: Productivity refers to the ability to the ability to construct and understand an indefinitely large number of sentences in one’s native language, including those that has never heard before, but that are appropriate to the speaking situation.The property that enables native speakers to construct and understand an indefinitely largenumberofutterances,including utterances that they have never previously encountered. (4) Displacement: “Displacement”, as one of the design features of the human language, refers to the fact that one can talk about things that are not present, as easily as he does things present. In other words, one can refer to real and unreal things, things of the past, of the present, of the future. Language itself can be talked about too. 欧阳德创编2021.03.07 欧阳德创编2021.03.07 (5) Culturaltransmission:Thismeansthat languageisnotbiologicallytransmitted from generation to generation, but that the details of the linguistic system must be learned anew by each speaker. (6) Interchangeability:Interchangeability means that any human being can be both a producer and a receiver of messages. 3. 3. Functions of Language. Language has at least seven functi