Chapter I Introduction

1. Chapter I Introduction Why study language? What is language? What is linguistics?

2. Chapter I Introduction • Why study language • Language 2.1 Definition 2.2 Origin 2.3 Design features 2.4 Functions 2.5 Typology • Linguistics 3.1 Definition 3.2 Scope 3.3 Important distinctions

3. 1. Why study language • Language is an integral part of our life and humanity. • Yet we know little or even have wrong ideas about it. • Where does language come from? How? When? • The subject of language is intriguing and useful. • Why is language human-specific? Language can be used as a way of finding out: • How the brain works. • How children learn language. • Why people use different varieties of language. • What the role of language is in different cultures, etc. • Why can a child learn his/her mother tongue so easily? • How can we say one thing but mean another? • Language has a form-meaning correspondence. • The function of language is to exchange information.

4. 2. Language 2.1 Definition • Different senses • Expressions • Idiolect • Variety • Abstract system • Universal properties • Bad language • Shakespeare’s language • Business language • The English language • A student of language • Definition of language as a research subject Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. Language is a system of arbitraryvocalsymbols used for humancommunication.

5. 2. Language Language is a system of arbitraryvocalsymbols used for humancommunication. 语言是人类用于交际的任意有声符号系统。 译 • Language is systematic. • Elements are combined according to rules. • Language is arbitrary. • A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

6. 2. Language Language is a system of arbitraryvocalsymbols used for humancommunication. • Language is basically vocal. • The primary medium is sound for all languages. • Language is symbolic. • It is meaningless by itself. • Language is human-specific. • Bird songs and bee dances • Language is communicative. • That is its major function.

7. 2. Language 2.2 Origin(of speech) • The divine theory • endowed by God (The Tower of Babel) • The bow-wow theory • imitative of animal calls (mew, hiss) • The pooh-pooh theory • instinctive cries out of emotions (interjections) • The ding-dong theory • natural resonance when struck (ding-dong, bang)

8. 2. Language 2.2 Origin(of speech) • The yo-he-ho theory • rhythmic grunts when working (heave, haul) • Summary • Language originated from our experience of the external and internal world, and our contact with others. It evolves within specific historical, social and cultural contexts. • Questions for discussion: • Will the day come when all languages become one? • What is possibly the first language? • Where do you think language came from?

9. 2. Language 2.3 Design features Design features refer to the defining properties of language that distinguish it from any animal system of communication. Design features refer to the defining properties of language that distinguish it from any animal system of communication. • Arbitrariness 任意性 • no natural relationship between meaning and form • A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. • Duality 二层性 • two hierarchical structures of sounds and words • Sounds meaningless; words meaningful

10. 2. Language 2.3 Design features • Creativity创造性 • productivity, infinite use of finite means • understand/produce sentences never heard before. • Displacement移位性 • stimulus free (genereralization and abstraction) • free from barriers by separation in time and space. • MORE ? • Cultural transmission: more cultural than genetic • Interchangeability: both a producer and a receiver

11. 2.4 Functions Hello! Get out of my way! The earth revolves around the sun. Do you know his hobby? I hate her. How do you like Jack? I hereby declare the meeting open. Tommy, Dear Friend Humor; chanting; puns What I mean is; in other words Phatic Directive Informative Interrogative Expressive Evocative Performative Interpersonal Recreational Metalinguistic

12. 2.4 Functions • Linguists talk about the FUNCTIONS of language in an abstract sense. They summarize practical functions and attempt some broad classifications. • Jakobson (1960): referential (context), emotive (addresser), poetic (message), conative (addressee), phatic (contact), meta-lingual (code) • Halliday early: instrumental, regulatory, representational, interactional, personal, heuristic and imaginative. • Halliday (1994): ideational (logical), interpersonal (social) and textual (relevant)

13. 2. Language 2.4 Functions • Informative (ideational): to express the speaker’s experience of the external and internal world • Interpersonal: to establish and maintain social rules • Recreational: to recreate/play with words • Metalingual: to describe language itself Performative: to perform actions (directive) Emotive (expressive) : overlapped with expression of the inner experience Phatic: purely social/interpersonal Textual

14. 3. Linguistics 3.1 Definition Linguistics is generally defined as the scientificstudy of language. As a science, it now has its own set of established theories, methods and sub-branches. hypothesis The flow of linguistics study data generalization theory

15. 3. Linguistics 3.2 Scope

16. 3. Linguistics 3.3 Important distinctions • Descriptive vs. prescriptive: be/should be • This distinction lies in prescribing how things ought to be and describing how things are. • Synchronic vs. diachronic: usually current/historical • The former takes a fixed instant, usually the present, as its point of observation; the latter studies a language through the course of its history.

17. 3. Linguistics 3.3 Important distinctions • Speech vs. writing: spoken/written language • Speech is primary over writing, which in turn gives language new scope and uses. • Langue vs. parole: abstract rules/concrete use • Saussure distinguished the linguistic competence of the speaker and the actual phenomena or data of linguistics (utterances) as langue and parole.

18. 3. Linguistics 3.3 Important distinctions • Competence vs. performance: ideal knowledge /actual use • A language user’s underlying knowledge about the system of rules is called his linguistic competence. And performance refers to the actual use of language in concrete situations (Chomsky) • Traditional grammar vs. modern linguistics • approach: Prescriptive vs. descriptive • emphasis: Writing vs. speech • framework: start with / work for a universal framework